The usage of ground-mounted photovoltaic solar panels is increasing, and it is essential to fully understand the wind behavior and loading on the panels, since there is no specific code or guideline for their design in the present. In addition, the University of Ottawa and Carleton University recently developed a new facility, called the Wind Damage Simulator (WDS). This study will allow to understand the flow behavior in the facility, along with the effects of different blower rpm settings on the flow. A CFD study was also conducted, in order to examine the methodology and turbulence models suitable for the flow replicated in this facility, for future research. The newly developed Wind Damage Simulator (WDS) facility was used to examine wind-induced effects on two solar panels attached to a frame. The mean pressure coefficient distribution on the photovoltaic panels was examined for several wind angles of incidence (AOI) and wind speeds. The wind AOI considered were the 0°, 30°, 45°, 180°, 210° and 225°, along with wind speeds ranging from 14 m/s to 42 m/s, with increments of around 2 m/s. The experimental results showed fluctuations in the Cp distribution on the panels, due to the WDS wind flow being highly unstable. The 180° wind AOI led to the highest uplift mean Cp equivalent (Cpeq) value on the panels. The 45° and 180° wind AOI were found to induce a Cpeq of significantly higher magnitude on the first panel compared to the second panel, whereas the 0° and 210° wind AOI induced a significantly higher Cpeq magnitude on the second panel compared to the first panel Cpeq. Moreover, the CFD study provided pressure coefficient distribution on the panels and flow visualization when interacting with the panels surfaces. The LES Dynamic Smagorinsky subgrid scale model was found to be more suitable for the WDS numerical replication than the RANS shear stress transport k-ω turbulence model. The LES model showed the fluctuating pressure coefficients on the panels’ surfaces, induced by the swirls that were formed post interaction of the wind with the panels.

Mindre än en timmes solsken på vår planet innehåller mer energi än hela världens energiförbrukning på ett helt år. Ett vanligt villatak i Sverige tar på ett år emot flera gånger mer energi än vad dess behov är. Potentialen för solenergi är mycket stor. Samtidigt använder samhället idag stora mängder energi och det mesta av energin kommer från icke-förnyelsebara källor. Sverige har visserligen en hög andel förnyelsebar energi jämfört med andra länder men ändå är mer än hälften av energin som vi använder icke förnyelsebar. Syftet med den här rapporten är att utveckla ett mer hållbart samhälle genom att använda solenergi. Målet har varit att undersöka hur solenergi används i nybyggda villor och hur användningen av solenergi kan öka. Tre huvudfrågor har utarbetats för att kunna nå målet. Hur används solenergi idag? Hur kan användningen av solenergi öka i nyproducerade villor? Hur ser användningen av solceller ut i ett internationellt perspektiv? Dessa frågor besvaras i den här rapporten med hjälp av litteraturstudier och intervjuer. En genomgång av ett stort antal rapporter och böcker om solenergi som skrivits under de senaste fem åren har gjorts. Uppgifter ifrån småhustillverkare och leverantörer har inhämtats genom intervjuer både personliga möten och via telefon. Resultatet visar att solenergi är en hållbar lösning för framtiden men den används i liten utsträckning idag. I Sverige finns det idag 30 000 småhus som har solfångare och mindre än 900st installationer med solceller. Småhustillverkare erbjuder nästan aldrig någon form av solenergi till sina hus och menar också att efterfrågan är dålig. För att kunna öka användningen av solenergi i nyproducerade villor krävs information, statlig styrning och anpassade lösningar. Marknadsföring, nettodebitering, bidrag ifrån staten, hårdare energikrav, dyrare elpriser samt lösningar som är estetiska, driftsäkra och praktiska är också förslag som framkommer i rapporten. Internationellt pågår det en mycket stor ökning av andelen solceller. Vissa länder har uppnått att el ifrån solceller har lägre eller samma pris som konventionella källor till el. I Danmark ökade installationer av solceller från 11MW till 327MW under 2012. Under 2012 installerades det totalt 100 000 MW solceller i hela världen. / Less than one hour's sunshine on our planet contains more energy than the whole world's energy consumption in one year. A common roof for residential dwellings in Sweden receives several times more energy in one year than what its needs are. The potential for solar energy is huge. At the same time the society today uses large amounts of energy and most of the energy comes from non-renewable sources. Sweden does have a high percentage of renewable energy compared to other countries but more than half of the energy we use are non-renewable. The purpose of this report is to obtain a more sustainable society by using solar energy. The goal has been to investigate how solar energy is used in the newly built small houses and how the use of solar energy can increase. Three main issues have been developed in order to achieve the purpose. How is the use of solar energy today? How can solar energy increase in newly constructed homes? How is the use of solar cells in to an international perspective? These questions have been answered in this report using literature reviews and interviews. A review of numerous reports and books on solar energy in the last five years has been done. Data from small houses manufacturers and suppliers have been obtained by interviewing both in personal meetings and by phone. The results show that solar power is a viable solution for the future, but it is used to a small extent today. In Sweden, there are 30,000 single-family homes that have solar panels and less than 900 installations with solar cells. Small houses manufacturers offer almost never any kind of solar energy into their houses and they also says that demand is poor. In order to increase the use of solar energy in small houses, information, government control, and customized solutions are all needs. Marketing, net metering, grants from the state, tougher energy requirements, higher electricity prices, and solutions that are aesthetic, reliable, and practical are also possibilities presented in the report. Internationally, it is a very large increase in the proportion of solar cells. Some countries have reached that electricity from solar cells is lower or the same price as conventional electricity sources. In Denmark, installations of solar cells increased from 11MW to 327MW in 2012. In 2012 it was installed 100,000 MW solar cells worldwide.

This report focuses on addressing the electricity shortfall in Pakistan with the help of renewable resources. At present, the country is facing a shortfall of almost 7,000 megawatts (MW) which is affecting every walk of life and causing almost 1.5 to 2% GDP loss on annual basis. Previous research done on this subject reveals that electricity demand has always remained high then the total generation capacity of Pakistan. Similarly, it has been pointed out that the country is not taking maximum benefit from its available hydro, solar and wind resources. This leads us to the basic purpose of this research which is to have an exploratory understanding of the strategies adopted by India, China, Brazil and Spain for electricity generation in a green fashion and how can these strategies be implemented  in Pakistan. Case study has been adopted as methodology for this purpose. This research work also discusses the factors contributing in the lack of promotion of renewable energy resources in Pakistan and provide detailed analyses of positive changes these projects can bring in lives of masses in Pakistan. The sustainable management of surface water resource in the country has been discussed in particular as the country faced worst floods in its history during years 2010 & 2011. It will result in enhancing the surface water storage ability of Pakistan which will significantly reduce our dependence on underground water reserves and will directly increase our electricity generation capacity through hydro dams. Similarly, sustainable forest management has been discussed at length as it will not only ensure environmental sustainability but will also result in increase availability of biomass. Not to mention the fact that wood biomass is much cheaper then conventional source of electricity generation provided it is obtained through sustainable forest management. Finally, if all the green strategies discussed in this research work will be implemented, it will increase the overall electricity generation capacity of Pakistan up to 9% respectively.

Tiriamojo darbo tema yra ypač aktuali, todėl, kad ateityje bus susiduriama su elektros energijos stygiumi ir dideliu kainų šuoliu. Šiuo metu pasaulyje beveik visų tipų energijos kainos kyla dėl žaliavos stygiaus. Energijos taupymu reikia susirūpinti jau šendien, todėl manau, kad saulės energija yra puiki alternatyva kitoms energijos rūšims. Saulė yra atsinaujinantis energijos šaltinis kuris neteršia aplinkos, be to saulės energija gali sutaupyti nemažai lėšų gyvenamųjų namų savininkams. Šio darbo metu buvo ištirtos Lietuvos galimybės plėtoti saulės energijos technologijas, bei panaudojimo galimybes. Darbo metu buvo aprašyta atsinaujinančioji saulės energija, ištirti Lietuvos saulės energijos ištekliai ir nustatytos tinkamiausios vietos saulės energijos panaudojimui. Darbo metu buvo tiriami saulės kolektoriai ir saulės fotoelementai, jų veikimo principai, savybės ir panaudojimo galimybės. Be to buvo lyginami tarpusavyje kelių tipų saulės fotoelemenatai, vertinamos fotoelementų atsipirkimo galimybės. / Investigative work is important, therefore, that the future will be faced with power shortages and significant price increases. Currently, almost all types of world energy prices caused raw material shortages. Energy savings should be cause for concern today already, so I think that solar energy is a great alternative to other types of energy. The sun is a renewable energy source which does not pollute the environment, as well as solar energy can save you considerable amount of money to owners of residential houses. This work has explored the possibility of Lithuania to develop solar energy technologies, and usability. This work was described in the renewable solar energy have been examined in Lithuania solar energy resources, and determine the most appropriate local use of solar energy development. Work was to investigate photocells and solar panels, its operating principles, features, usability. Also, a comparison between several types of photocells and assessed the possibility of payback.

The application of dynamic wind load on photovoltaic (PV) solar systems mounted on flat roofs influenced their structural behavior significantly. It is implied that when the PV solar system is exposed to extreme weather characteristics such as low temperatures, these might influence the load distribution along each layer of the solar panel, which is composed by multiple layers of different materials. Therefore, the high record of weather characteristics as one scenario in addition to the field experiment were designed to describe parametric structural behavior of PV solar system help to increase the precision of study. According to the mentioned procedures different parameters of weather characteristics measured with instrumentation at the site of PV panel installation at the University of Ottawa where the low temperature equal to -24.3° C and wind speed of 11.8 recorded. The mechanical and thermal properties of full-scale specimen and load application that computed based on weather record for every two minutes of January and February from northern side of specimen, introduced to FEM software SAP 2000. Moreover, the support structure and connection used to assemble real specimen considered in modeling with respect to average temperature equal to -7° C that caused to simulate 36 different cases to compare with simultaneous experiment designed to measured strain within same period. The second investigation involved instrumenting a full-scale PV solar panel specimen with 13 half-bridge strain gauges on both surfaces of the PV solar panel, which were used to measure strain values in longitudinal and transversal directions of solar panel and also on the top and bottom edges of the same panel. According to an equivalent uniform Young’s modulus numerically determined for the five layers of the PV solar panel, and with respect to the Hook’s law, the stresses were found to be equal to 50 Mpa for strain gauges at the mid area of PV solar panel,. This value was used to calibrate boundary conditions of the FE model namely the Fix-Equal and the Pin-Equal conditions along the edges of the solar panel and along the mounting frame.

The Swedish Tourist Association, STF, is an organization which strives to make the Swedish nature more accessible to people. Since its founding, STF has been a key player in the development of the tourism in the Swedish mountain regions. Today the organization have 44 mountain cabins along the Swedish mountain range, and a majority of the huts are completely off-grid with no other connection to them but hiking trails. To accommodate for the needs of hikers and skiers throughout the year, the huts need electricity for lighting and in many cases cash registers and satellite modems to run small shops selling simple commodities. Many of the huts use solar energy combined with lead acid batteries, but not all of them can make it through the year without the use of a backup gasoline generator. This master thesis analyzes the different energy systems of four huts run by STF and using solar radiance data from PVGIS to calculate whether or not they are self-sufficient throughout the year using only solar energy. In the cases where the huts were found not to be self-sufficient, suggestions on actions that STF could implement to optimize the systems were found. For two out of the four huts, the thesis found that they were not self-sufficient, but after optimizing the energy systems with new energy saving appliances as well as tilting the solar panels between the winter and summer seasons, all four huts were found to be able to reach self-sufficiency.

No description available.

This thesis examines the interest for solar panels as a standardised catalogue option for new houses. A survey done by SIFO from August 2013 shows that there is a large interest for solar panels amongst house owners in Sweden. In California construction companies have started offering solar panels to their house buyers as a standardised option. This study examines if a similar model may be applied here in Sweden.The thesis starts with a literature study on solar panels regarding technique, development, utilization and history. Then the laws, regulations and grants and such regarding solar panels will be clarified. With this as groundwork the interest among the queue for lots in Lunds municipality through a web based survey will be examined. Thereafter the interest amongst construction companies will also be examined through a web based survey. The gathered data is presented with diagrams and charts. Finally the collected data will be summarized and analyzed and the future of solar panels in Sweden, especially solar panels as a standardised option for new houses, discussed.The study has shown that there is a big interest among potential house buyers and also among the construction companies for solar panels and also for solar panels as a standardized option. The probabilities and assumptions that energy prices will rise, system prices for solar panels will continue to go down and environmental interest and care will grow lead to the conclusion that it is only a matter of time until solar panels become a standardized option for new houses on the Swedish market. Also that the technical solutions which allows solar cells to be integrated into construction materials would be very fitting as a standardized option.

This thesis suggests a new approach to extend the lifetime of Lithium-ion batteries for a Home Energy Storage System equipped with a renewable energy source. The new configuration improves the lifetime of the energy storage device by using the pulsed charge-discharge method. The batteries in this system can be charged either using solar panels when solar energy is available or by the grid power during off-peak hours when the electricity cost is at its lowest rate. In the new configuration, the battery bank is split into two equal sections to employ pulsed charge-discharge method. Interrupting the charge or discharge current provides a relaxation time for the lithium ions to diffuse gradually into the electrodes material of Lithium-ion batteries, this reduces the damage in the microstructure of the electrodes and thus it helps to prolong the battery lifetime. The spilt bank strategy improves the longevity of Lithium-ion batteries while maximizing the solar energy utilization. This strategy leads to reduce the reliance on the grid power which decreases the consumer’s total energy cost as well. To show the usefulness of the new approach, different modes of operation are discussed in details along with simulation results. An experimental setup is also developed to evaluate the effectiveness of the new approach in extending the Lifetime of Lithium-ion batteries. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

Background: The adoption of solar panels is an important step for companies aiming to enhance their sustainability and reduce carbon footprints. The role of organizational culture and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in driving this adoption is critical. Organizational culture encompasses the values, beliefs, and practices that influence behaviour within a company, while CSR initiatives reflect a company’s commitment to managing its social, economic, and environmental impacts responsibly. Understanding how these internal factors influence the adoption of sustainable technologies like solar panels can provide valuable insights for businesses and policymakers. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate how solar panel adoption by companies in France can impact their sustainable commitments and strategies. By exploring the interplay between these organizational culture and CSR, the study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how cultural values and CSR initiatives drive sustainable practices. The study seeks to contribute to the literature on sustainability in the corporate sector and offer practical insights for companies aiming to integrate solar technology into their operations. Method: This study employs a qualitative research approach, using semi-structured interviews to gather data from representatives of French companies that have adopted solar panels. The sample includes companies from various industries to provide a broad perspective. The interviews focus on understanding the influence of organizational culture and CSR initiatives on the decision to adopt solar technology. Thematic analysis is used to identify patterns and themes in the data, and a comparative analysis is conducted to explore differences and similarities across companies. Conclusion: The findings reveal that organizational culture plays a significant role in the adoption of solar panels. Companies with cultures that prioritize innovation, sustainability, and ethical behaviour are more likely to implement effective CSR initiatives, which in turn facilitate the adoption of solar panels. CSR initiatives act as a mediator, translating cultural values into concrete actions that support sustainability. The study highlights that aligning organizational culture with CSR strategies is crucial for achieving long-term sustainability goals. This alignment not only helps companies comply with regulatory requirements but also enhances their competitive advantage and public image. The study provides practical recommendations for companies seeking to adopt solar technology and underscores the importance of fostering a supportive cultural environment for sustainability initiatives.