In my diploma thesis, there was created the summary of solar construcion, toys and another elements, which are available on the market. At first some construction were selected, than there were the experiments were drawn up and at the end the experiments were done by students dutiny the lessons.There is also a short movie including these experiment. The diploma thesis contains my own design of solar construction, the description of its manufactory and its use in teaching physics. There is also the description of accompanying website. On this website i tis possible to download the wokrsheets. These worksheets were tested dutiny the teaching and later than at work evalueted.

A photovoltaic thermal solar collector (PVT) produces both heat and electricity from a single panel. PVT collectors produce more energy, for a given area, than conventional electricity and heat producing panels, which means they are a promising technology for applications with limited space, such as building integration. This work has been broken down into 3 subprojects focusing on the development of PVT technology. In the first subproject an experimental testing facility was constructed to characterise the performance of PVT collectors. The collectors under investigation were assembled by combining bespoke thermal absorbers and PV laminates. Of the two designs tested, the serpentine design had the highest combined efficiency of 61% with an 8% electrical fraction. The header riser design had a combined efficiency of 59% with an electrical fraction of 8%. This was in agreement with other results published in literature and highlights the potential for manufacturers of bespoke thermal absorbers and PV devices to combine their products into a single PVT device that could achieve improved efficiency over a given roof area. In the second project a numerical approach using computational fluid dynamics was developed to simulate the performance of a solar thermal collector. Thermal efficiency curves were simulated and the heat removal factor and heat loss coefficient differed from the experimental measurements by a maximum of 12.1% and 2.9% respectively. The discrepancies in the findings is attributed to uncertainty in the degree of thermal contact between the absorber and the piping. Despite not perfectly matching the experimental results, the CFD approach also served as a useful tool to carry out performance comparisons of different collector designs and flow conditions. The effect of 5 different flow configurations for a header collector was investigated. It was found that the most efficient design had uniform flow through the pipe work which was in agreement with other studies. The temperature induced voltage mismatch, that occurs in the PV cells of PVT collector was also investigated. It was concluded that the temperature variation was not limiting and the way in which PV cells are wired together on the surface of a PVT collector did not influence the combined electrical power output.

Le stockage par supercondensateurs de l'énergie photovoltaïque est modélisé afin de disposer d'un modèle suffisamment fin et accessible permettant de les intégrer dans des chaînes de conversion de l'énergie solaire. Les supercondensateurs sont modélisés par un circuit multibranche comportant des résistances et capacités variables suivant la tension, dont les valeurs sont déterminées par une expérience de caractérisation ayant une bonne précision. Par ailleurs, tous les éléments d'une chaîne typique de conversion de l'énergie photovoltaïque sont modélisés avec le logiciel Matlab/Simulink (gisement solaire, conversion photovoltaïque des panneaux, régulateur, batterie et charges). Le modèle de stockage de l'énergie photovoltaïque par supercondensateurs est ensuite validé par la bonne concordance des mesures relevées en conditions réelles avec les résultats donnés par les simulations. Enfin, deux exemples d'exploitation du modèle sont proposés et discutés : la détermination du temps de charge des supercondensateurs suivant l'éclairement solaire et la température ambiante, et l'intégration des supercondensateurs dans la chaîne d'alimentation électrique d'un moteur à courant continu permettant de réduire les sollicitations électriques sur la batterie lors de l'appel de puissance nécessaire au démarrage du moteur / The storage by ultracapacitors of photovoltaic energy is modeled in order to have an accurate and accessible model to integrate ultracapacitors into solar energy conversion systems. Ultracapacitors are modeled by a multibranch circuit representation composed of resistors and capacitors with variable voltage whose values are determined by an accurate characterization experiment. Moreover, all the elements of a typical photovoltaic energy conversion system are modeled by using the Matlab/Simulink software (solar radiation, photovoltaic panels, batteries and charges). The energy storage model by ultracapacitors is then validated by the good agreement of measured values taken in real conditions with the results provided by simulations. Finally, two examples are proposed and discussed: the determination of the storage duration of ultracapacitors versus solar irradiance and ambient temperature, and the integration of ultracapacitors in the electrical feeding system of a DC motor to reduce the electrical current peak of the battery at the start of the motor

In this work a spectrum splitting micro-scale concentrating PV system is evaluated to increase the conversion efficiency of flat panel PV systems. In this approach, the dispersed spectrum splitting concentration systems is scaled down to a small size and structured in an array. The spectrum splitting configuration allows the use of separate single bandgap PV cells that increase spectral overlap with the incident solar spectrum. This results in an overall increase in the spectral conversion efficiency of the resulting system. In addition other benefits of the micro-scale PV system are retained such reduced PV cell material requirements, more versatile interconnect configurations, and lower heat rejection requirements that can lead to a lower cost system. The system proposed in this work consists of two cascaded off-axis holograms in combination with a micro lens array, and three types of PV cells. An aspherical lens design is made to minimize the dispersion so that higher concentration ratios can be achieved for a three-junction system. An analysis methodology is also developed to determine the optical efficiency of the resulting system, the characteristics of the dispersed spectrum, and the overall system conversion efficiency for a combination of three types of PV cells.

The document reviews the current and projected electricity demand until the year 2030 along with the fuel mix. Several projections based on different agencies were studied in order to understand the trend of fuel mix projected to be used. Clearly, the fuel mix being used or projected is unsustainable. Depletion of fossil fuels, increasing demand and environmental impacts are some of the factors that emphasize the use of Alternative Sources of Electricity. Three of the upcoming Alternative Sources - Solar, Wind and Landfill Gases - are discussed and compared in the document. Based on the comparison, Landfill Gas projects seem to be very favorable, despite the higher costs related with such projects, several advantages over the other two Alternative Sources are discussed in the document. The several advantages of Landfill Gas projects, such as emissions reduction, better power quality, reduction in transmission losses, and several others are discussed in the document

M. Tech. (Department of Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology) -- Vaal University of Technology / Einstein said, ‘‘the release of energy has not created a new problem, but has made more urgent the necessity of solving an existing one’’. This dissertation presents a method of optimising the available output power from a photovoltaic (PV) panel through empirical testing as this will enable a higher yield of solar energy thereby reducing dependence on traditional energy sources such as fossil fuels. The proposed study intends using existing equations of latitude, mathematical models and simulation packages in combination with the experimental data to analyse the optimum tilt and orientation angles for PV panels. This will assist in identifying ways to improve the installation of PV panels for optimum output power in the Vaal Triangle. Photovoltaic panels are semiconductor devices that convert incident direct beam radiation to electrical energy and the panel is composed of several unitary cells connected in series and/or in parallel. The optimisation process involves the empirical testing of the entire system with the use of existing equations of latitude as suggested by literature for PV installation in the southern hemisphere, power conditioning devices (such as an DC-DC converter, solar charger with MPPT) in order to validate results as well as the correlation of empirical results with a simulation package. The first objective was to have an overview of the types of PV panels that exist; this was done in order to be able to make a right choice of PV panel to be used in this research. A concise literature review was carried to enable this research to have a background of existing information in the areas of optimisation of power from PV panels. The next objective was to carry out a pilot study, this was done to form the foundation for the main study. A data-logging interface circuit (DLIC) was incorporated in the system for some reasons presented in subsequent chapters of this dissertation. At the end of this study data were taken over a two year period, the data were analysed and conclusions were drawn and some recommendation in optimising available output power from a PV panel are suggested. / Vaal University of Technology, Telkom South Africa Ltd, TFMC Pty LTD, M-TEC and THRIP

M. Tech. (Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering) Vaal University of Technology) / Water is one of the basic necessities of life. In addition to being essential for the maintenance of life, this basic resource is a crucial requirement for combating poverty, hunger and disease in South African communities. In excess of twenty-nine percent of South African households do not have water in either their dwellings, or on site (source: 2005 RSA census data). This study documents an engineering solution to the problem of water pumping, utilising renewable energy (solar power) and readily available pumping hardware, configured via a structured design process. Resultant from the research, a software application has been developed that facilitates the design of solar (photovoltaic) powered water pumping applications. The selected design configuration of a nontracking, stand-alone, directly coupled system provides for the most robust and least complex design possible, making it imminently suitable for application in rural African conditions. Operation of the program is via a simple graphical user interface, with full and context sensitive help provided. It is tailored for use in Southern Africa and is provided with comprehensive databases of location dependant design information such as solar radiation, meteorology and magnetic declination data, together with expandable databases of pre-configured pump and solar panel hardware specification data. The program is manufacturer and component independent, with no affiliations in the choice of hardware. Design methodologies, together with a component matching strategy. Optimisation is achieved by a quantitative and efficiency 'best fit' analysis of the selected hardware components within the design context. Design output predictions are tabulated and graphed by month for a period of one year, allowing design visualisation. The application has been named 'South African Stand-alone Solar (PV) Water Pumping Design Aid', abbreviated as 'SAS-SWP' in its run-time form. The SASSWP application is illustrated in the functional overview provided in Figure 1. / VUT

The objective of this thesis is to analyze and evaluate the profitability of photovoltaic power plant construction project. The introductory part deals with general characteristics of solar energy and its utilization, with the Slovakian and the European legislation in connection with use of renewable energy resources. The practical part deals with solar energy from the perspective of private firm. One particular company is considering about the implementation of photovoltaic power plant. This section begins with the presentation of the private company and evaluation of its preconditions for this planned construction. The thesis also describes planned implementation of the project, namely its preparation, possibilities of obtaining funds, necessary communication with the public agencies, selection of technology and the construction itself. At the end is project evaluated from the point of profitability by selected indicators.

No description available.

[pt] Esta simulação considera um ciclo Rankine que utiliza um fluido de trabalho orgânico, com a particularidade que a fonte de energia de entrada ao sistema será solar. Esta energia renovável que provem do potencial do Sol é aproveitada com a utilização de coletores concentradores lineares parabólicos. Estes dois circuitos: do ciclo Rankine orgânico e do conjunto de coletores interatuam termicamente mediante um trocador de calor chamado de gerador de vapor. Adicionalmente, existe um sistema de armazenamento térmico que permite acumular parte da energia solar coletada para ser utilizada em períodos sem radiação solar ou com níveis baixos da mesma. A primeira parte deste trabalho mostra os aspectos teóricos introdutórios e as considerações para trabalhar com um ciclo Rankine de tipo orgânico, o tipo de coletores escolhido e a utilização de armazenamento térmico. O segundo capítulo mostra o modelo matemático apropriado para simular um sistema de geração de potência de baixa capacidade (50 kW) e os componentes de cada circuito: ciclo (bomba, expansor, condensador, recuperador, gerador de vapor), coletores (cobertura, refletor, absorvedor, etc.) e armazenamento (tanques, etc.). A simulação foi desenvolvida no software EES. O terceiro analisa os parâmetros do modelo, seus possíveis valores físicos, a sensibilidade da sua variação e sua seleção adequada com o objetivo de efetuar uma simulação bastante similar à realidade e as incertezas presentes. No capítulo final se apresentam os resultados em base as condições de desenho consideradas. / [en] This simulation considers a Rankine cycle that works with an organic fluid, but has the particularity of using solar power as the font of input energy. This renewable energy that comes from the sun’s potential is taken with the use of parabolic trough collectors. These two circuits: that of the organic Rankine cycle (ORC) and the other of collector’s ensemble interact termically in a heat exchanger called as vapor generator. Adicionally there’s a thermal storage system that allows accumulating part of the collected solar energy to be used for periods of time when there’s no solar radiation or with very low levels of it. The first part of this work shows the introductory theoretical aspects and the considerations to work with an organic Rankine cycle (ORC), the type of chosen collector and the use of heat storage. The second chapter shows the appropriate mathematic model to simulate a system of power generation of low capacity (50 kW) and the components of each circuit: ORC (pump, expander, condenser, recuperator, vapor generator), collectors (glass cover, reflector mirror, absorber tube, etc.) and thermal storage (storage tanks, etc.). The simulation was developed using EES software. The third chapter analyzes the parameters of the model, specially its values and possible variations to approach the simulation to the reality. In the final chapter, some results are presented based on some considered design conditions.