Sharif Digital Repository

Solar energy will make a valuable contribution for power generation in the future. However the intermittency of solar energy has become an important issue in the utilization of PV system, especially small scale distributed solar energy conversion systems. The issue can be addressed through the management of production and storage of the energy in the form of hydrogen. The hydrogen can be produced by solar photovoltaic (PV) powered electrolysis of water. The amount of transferred energy to an electrolyzer from a PV module is a function of the distance between maximum power points (MPP) of PV module and the electrolyzer operating points. The distance can be minimized by optimizing the number... 

Herein, we report the impact of light scattering mechanism on photovoltaic and photoelectrochemical performance of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) devices composed of TiO2 nanoparticles and hollow cubes. DSCs are designed by two different light scattering modes (i.e., mode I in form of single layer electrode containing nanoparticles and hollow cubes and mode II in the form of double layer electrode comprising active and scattering layers made of nanoparticles and mixtures of nanoparticles and hollow cubes, respectively). The synthesized anatase-TiO2 hollow cubes (200–400 nm) and nanoparticles (15–30 nm) are employed to enhance the optical length and light harvesting of photoanodes,... 

Among the various approaches, ZnS treatment is the most convenient method for reducing the charge recombination in quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs). Here an improved method of ZnS treatment is explained for efficiency enhancement in QDSSCs. To get to the goal of device performance improvement, it is essential to have a uniform deposited layer. We utilized Triton X-100 (TX-100) as a surfactant to the convenient aqueous precursors during ZnS deposition by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method. It helps to decrease in contact angle and increase in wettability of the aqueous precursor and results in a more uniform deposited layer. The effect of modified ZnS treatment... 

In the current investigation, four novel donoracceptor type organic dyes including (DPA-Ba, DPA-Hy, DPA-Rh, DPA-Cy), are proposed and their photophysical and electrochemical properties as well as dye-sensitized solar cell performance are systematically investigated. Among these dyes diphenylamine is utilized as an-electron donor while barbituric acid, hydantoin, rhodanine-n-acetic acid and cyano acetic acid, are proposed as anchoring groups as dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The synthesized dyes are characterized using FT-IR, NMR, mass spectrometry, absorbance and electrochemical measurements. The photophysical, electrochemical and photovoltaic properties of the solar cells based on... 

This paper reports on the synthesis of ZnO nanowires (NWs), as well asthe compound nanostructures of nanoparticles (NPs) and nanowires (NWs+NPs) with different coating layers of NPs on the top of NWs and their integration in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In compound nanostructures, NWs offer direct electrical pathways for fast electron transfer, and the NPs of ZnOdispread and fill the interstices between the NWs of ZnO, offering a huge surface area for enough dye anchoring and promoting light harvesting. A significant photocurrent density of 2.64mA/cm2 and energy conversion efficiency of 1.43% was obtained with NWs-based DSSCs. The total solar-to-electric energy conversion efficiency... 

In an attempt to prolong the performance of the conventional Solar Chimney (SC) and enhance its efficiency, this contribution presents a kind of novel compound SC with the Photovoltaic (PV) module and Phase Change Material (PCM) called the SC-PV-PCM system. Using PCM not only improves the PV module performance but also extends the productive period of the SC. A three-dimensional quasi-steady computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the proposed system is developed. The developed model is used to investigate the effect of using PCMs with different melting points on the performance of the proposed system. It is demonstrated that the RT-50 provides superior performance among the studied... 

In the current research, a three-dimensional photovoltaic thermal system integrated with phase change material system with nanofluids is investigated. The working fluids involved in this study include nano-magnesium oxide, multiwall carbon nano tube and hybrid (mixture of nano-magnesium oxide and nano-multiwall carbon nano tube) nanofluids dispersed in pure water. After comparing single-phase model and mixture model, the mixture model is used in the study and fluid flow regime in the collector is assumed to be laminar, fully develop, uniform and incompressible, to model the nanofluid in the system. A parametric analysis is conducted to examine the effect of various parameters such as working... 

As one of the cleanest energies, hydrogen has attracted much attention over the past decade. Hydrogen can be produced using water electrolysis in a Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysis Cell (PEMEC). In the present study, the performance of the PEMEC, powered by the Photovoltaic-Thermal (PVT) system, is scrutinized. It is considered that the PVT system provides the required electrical power of the PEMEC and preheats the feedwater. A comprehensive numerical model of the coupled PVT-PEMEC system is developed. The model is used to investigate the effect of various operating parameters, including solar radiation intensity, inlet feedwater temperature, and feedwater mass flow rate, on the... 

As one of the cleanest energies, hydrogen has attracted much attention over the past decade. Hydrogen can be produced using water electrolysis in a Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysis Cell (PEMEC). In the present study, the performance of the PEMEC, powered by the Photovoltaic-Thermal (PVT) system, is scrutinized. It is considered that the PVT system provides the required electrical power of the PEMEC and preheats the feedwater. A comprehensive numerical model of the coupled PVT-PEMEC system is developed. The model is used to investigate the effect of various operating parameters, including solar radiation intensity, inlet feedwater temperature, and feedwater mass flow rate, on the... 

The effect of substitutional Li doping into NiOx hole transporting layer (HTL) for use in inverted perovskite solar cells was systematically studied. Li doped NiOx thin films with preferential crystal growth along the (111) plane were deposited using a simple solution-based process. Mott-Schottky analysis showed that hole carrier concentration (NA) is doubled by Li doping. Utilizing 4 % Li in NiOx improved the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of solar devices from 9.0 % to 12.6 %. Photoluminescence quenching investigations demonstrate better hole capturing properties of Li:NiOx compared to that of NiOx, leading to higher current densities by Li doping. The electrical conductivity of NiOx is... 

Miscellaneous sorts of renewable energies, despite of their positive impacts on the power system operation cost and environmental concerns, could jeopardize the system reliability due to introducing significant degrees of intermittency and uncertainty. This challenge could be overcome by composing various sources of renewable energies with complimentary natures. This paper devises an explicit mathematical framework to compromise the contribution of wind and solar energies. The optimization problem is to maximize the system reliability subject to a fixed monetary investment associated with both wind and solar. The problem formulation is based on mixed-integer programming (MIP) format in which... 

To attain an ongoing electricity economy, developing novel widespread electricity supply systems based on diverse energy resources are critically important. Several photovoltaic (PV) technologies exist, which cause various pathways to produce electricity from solar energy. This paper evaluates the competition between three influential solar technologies based on photovoltaic technique to find the optimal pathways for satisfying the electricity demand: (1) multicrystalline silicon; (2) copper, indium, gallium, and selenium (CIGS); and (3) multijunction. Besides the technical factors, there are other effective parameters such as cost, operability, feasibility, and capacity that should be... 

Stirling engines operate in a variety of temperatures and the electric power production via dish Stirling systems could be considered as an appropriate alternative for high-temperature solar concentrator energy harvesting systems. To this end, by performing various studies and analyses on the engine, Stirling cycle, and heat exchangers while utilizing the solar energy as the input thermal energy of the Stirling engine, parameters with the highest effect on the output power and engine stability are detected and considered as optimization variables. In this case, output power, thermal efficiency, and economic evaluation are taken to be the three suitable objective functions for multi-objective... 

Stirling engines operate in a variety of temperatures and the electric power production via dish Stirling systems could be considered as an appropriate alternative for high-temperature solar concentrator energy harvesting systems. To this end, by performing various studies and analyses on the engine, Stirling cycle, and heat exchangers while utilizing the solar energy as the input thermal energy of the Stirling engine, parameters with the highest effect on the output power and engine stability are detected and considered as optimization variables. In this case, output power, thermal efficiency, and economic evaluation are taken to be the three suitable objective functions for multi-objective... 

This article contributes to the ongoing debate about whether, how, and under what conditions latecomer countries can become producers of new technology and innovation, thereby catching up with technological leaders. Recent work on sectoral systems of innovation and in the evolutionary economics literature suggests that successful latecomers can move into new technological or industrial domains. They specialise in domains that present more frequent windows of opportunity, shorter technological cycles, flatter learning curves and easier access to relevant knowledge than others. This study investigates the role and significance of two hitherto neglected dimensions of technological regimes that... 

The objective of the present study is the development of an optimization model for identifying the best configuration of renewable-based integrated energy systems. The system includes a combination of renewable energy systems such as wind, solar, hydropower and hydrogen production, storage facilities and conventional fossil-fuel generators. The developed tool consists of various modules where water heating assumes the utilization of waste energy as an option. Furthermore, the application, which is demonstrated for a case study in Tehran, has been considered. The power exchange with the distribution network and injection of hydrogen produced from excess renewable sources into gas network are... 

Battery energy systems are playing significant roles in smart homes, e.g., absorbing the uncertainty of solar energy from root-top photovoltaic, supplying energy during a power outage, and responding to dynamic electricity prices. For the safe and economic operation of batteries, an optimal battery-management system (BMS) is required. One of the most important features of a BMS is state-of-charge (SoC) estimation. This article presents a robust central-difference Kalman filter (CDKF) method for the SoC estimation of on-site lithium-ion batteries in smart homes. The state-space equations of the battery are derived based on the equivalent circuit model. The battery model includes two RC... 

Recent investigations on multifunctional piezoelectric semiconductors have shown their excellent potential as photovoltaic components in high-efficiency third-generation quantum nanostructure (QNS) solar cells. The current work is devoted to studying the electro-elastic behavior of high-density QNS photovoltaic semiconductors within which initial mismatch strains of arrays of quantum dots (QDs) or quantum wires (QWRs) induce coupled electro-mechanical fields. The inter-nanostructure couplings which are of great importance in high-density QNS arrays are incorporated in the presented analytical framework. In practice, QNSs with different geometries such as spherical, cuboidal, or pyramidal QDs... 

The use of solar-powered reverse osmosis desalination systems is a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution in the desalination industry. However, there are some substantial technical and economic challenges due to the intermittency and fluctuation of solar energy. Recent technological improvement and feed-in tariff policies enable these systems to be competitive with conventional grid-connected reverse osmosis systems. In this paper, a feasibility study of the integration of solar panels with the grid to power small-scale reverse osmosis systems (namely up to 2000 m3/day) is conducted in Iran, as a country with a low price of electricity. For this purpose, a city located on the... 

The use of solar-powered reverse osmosis desalination systems is a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution in the desalination industry. However, there are some substantial technical and economic challenges due to the intermittency and fluctuation of solar energy. Recent technological improvement and feed-in tariff policies enable these systems to be competitive with conventional grid-connected reverse osmosis systems. In this paper, a feasibility study of the integration of solar panels with the grid to power small-scale reverse osmosis systems (namely up to 2000 m3/day) is conducted in Iran, as a country with a low price of electricity. For this purpose, a city located on the...