Concentrated Solar Technologies and Applications

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Today, solar energy is confirmed as the most widespread, substantial and mature renewable energy capable of transporting our planet towards a truly sustainable ecological transition. In addition to PV technologies, the most mature technological solution concerns thermodynamic solar power, where concentrating systems will be the primary players in the near future.

The most accredited field of application is the field of CSP, but industrial (SHIP) and residential solar applications are becoming increasingly important. The latter allow for integration with other renewable energies and storage systems that make solar concentration particularly attractive for a myriad of hybrid applications.

This initiative aims to stimulate all these possible applications and the technological optimization related to solar concentration.

The Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Solar concentrators;
• Concentrator Solar Power (CSP),
• Solar Heating&Cooling (SHC),
• Integrated Solar System in Building
• Solar solution for Positice Energy Building (PEB),
• Solar solution for Positive Energy District (PED)
• Energy storage for solar system applications;
• Solar solution for distibuted generation system, smart grids, microgrids and hybrid-systrem;
• Experimental techniques for characterization and diagnosis of solar-systems;
• Approaches and tools for modeling and simulation of solar-systems;
• Thermal energy storage, cogeneration and thermal management;
• Combination and integration of several energy sources and storage solutions;
• Energy harvesting and recovery.

Prof. Dr. Maurizio De Lucia
Dr. Giacomo Pierucci
Dr. Francesco Taddei
Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Franchini
Dr. Giovanni Brumana
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Buildings buildings	3.8	3.1	2011	14.6 Days	CHF 2600
Energies energies	3.2	5.5	2008	16.1 Days	CHF 2600
Materials materials	3.4	5.2	2008	13.9 Days	CHF 2600
Solar solar	-	-	2021	16.9 Days	CHF 1000
Sustainability sustainability	3.9	5.8	2009	18.8 Days	CHF 2400

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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All Buildings Energies Materials Solar Sustainability

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25 pages, 9376 KiB  

Open AccessReview

Optical Developments in Concentrator Photovoltaic Systems—A Review

by Waseem Iqbal, Irfan Ullah and Seoyong Shin

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10554; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310554 - 04 Jul 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1874

Abstract

Energy needs have increased with global advancements and industrial revolutions. Electrical energy utilization shares a huge amount of energy with residential and industrial loads. Traditional energy resources are expensive and polluting, producing greenhouse gasses, which is a major environmental concern. Solar energy utilization [...] Read more.

Energy needs have increased with global advancements and industrial revolutions. Electrical energy utilization shares a huge amount of energy with residential and industrial loads. Traditional energy resources are expensive and polluting, producing greenhouse gasses, which is a major environmental concern. Solar energy utilization is a cost-effective, sustainable, and green solution to meet the ongoing energy demand. Concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems are developed for energy conversion by providing high efficiency using multi-junction solar cells. This paper provides an overview of the recent optical developments in CPV systems and emerging technologies that are likely to shape the future of CPV systems. The objective of this article is to provide an overview of the issues that need to be resolved to improve the geometrical concentration, acceptance angle, uniformity, and optical efficiency of CPV systems. A comprehensive comparison is also presented on different types of solar concentrators. In addition, future research directions are presented to facilitate the continued growth and success of CPV systems. Furthermore, this review article gives an up-to-date and widespread overview of CPV technology, assesses its potential for various applications, and distinguishes the challenges and opportunities for future research and development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Concentrated Solar Technologies and Applications)

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13 pages, 5052 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Validation of Double Paraboloid Reflection for Obtaining Quasi-Homogeneous Distribution of Concentrated Solar Flux

by Gonçalo Domingos, José Carlos Garcia Pereira, Pedro Alexandre Rodrigues Rosa, José Rodríguez and Luís Guerra Rosa

Energies 2023, 16(9), 3927; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16093927 - 06 May 2023

Viewed by 1178

Abstract

This work demonstrates that the quasi-homogeneous distribution of concentrated solar flux is achievable by using double paraboloid reflection, with a primary reflector to concentrate the sunlight, and a secondary reflector to homogenise the radiation flux. For that, three slightly different secondary reflectors were [...] Read more.

This work demonstrates that the quasi-homogeneous distribution of concentrated solar flux is achievable by using double paraboloid reflection, with a primary reflector to concentrate the sunlight, and a secondary reflector to homogenise the radiation flux. For that, three slightly different secondary reflectors were designed and manufactured, matching the specifications of the paraboloid concentrator of the SF60 solar furnace located in PSA—Plataforma Solar de Almería, which was used as primary reflector. Starting from preliminary simulations of the optical apparatus, the secondary geometries were selected and then the reflectors were manufactured from 7075-T6 aluminium alloy, using conventional and CNC machining technologies, with further processing to achieve a mirror-like finish. The results obtained from solar irradiation tests corroborate that the “double paraboloid reflection” methodology proposed in previous theoretical works seems to be technically feasible and can be a solution for obtaining homogeneously distributed fluxes of highly concentrated solar radiation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Concentrated Solar Technologies and Applications)

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18 pages, 1769 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Empirical Daily Solar Radiation Models for the Northeast Coast of the Iberian Peninsula

by Anton Vernet and Alexandre Fabregat

Energies 2023, 16(6), 2560; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16062560 - 08 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1144

Abstract

The ability to accurately predict daily solar radiation reaching the earth’s surface is essential in applications such as solar power generation. Given their ease of use, many empirical models have been proposed based on different dependent variables such as cloud cover, daily temperature [...] Read more.

The ability to accurately predict daily solar radiation reaching the earth’s surface is essential in applications such as solar power generation. Given their ease of use, many empirical models have been proposed based on different dependent variables such as cloud cover, daily temperature range, etc. In this study we evaluate 23 of these models for the prediction of daily solar radiation in the northern coastal zone of the Iberian Peninsula. Daily measurements during the period 2000–2018 from 16 meteorological stations spread over this area are used to adjust the parameters of each model, whose predictive capacity is then evaluated using measurements made between 2019 and 2022. Using different statistical metrics to assess their predictive performance, it was found that models based on hours of sunshine and level of cloudiness are significantly more accurate than those based on maximum and minimum daily temperature and day of the year. Specifically, the sunshine-based model by SBM3 obtained the highest Global Performance Indicator at 5.05. The results offer insight on the ability of each type of empirical model to accurately predict daily solar radiation in the Mediterranean region. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Concentrated Solar Technologies and Applications)

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14 pages, 3417 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Techno-Economic Evaluation of Future Thermionic Generators for Small-Scale Concentrated Solar Power Systems

by Alessandro Bellucci, Gianluca Caposciutti, Marco Antonelli and Daniele Maria Trucchi

Energies 2023, 16(3), 1190; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16031190 - 21 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1525

Abstract

Small-size concentrated solar power (CSP) plants are presently not diffused due to a too-high levelized cost of electricity (LCoE), contrarily to CSP plants with capacity >100 MW, which provide LCoE < 20 cEUR/kWh. The integration of solid-state converters within CSP plants can enhance [...] Read more.

Small-size concentrated solar power (CSP) plants are presently not diffused due to a too-high levelized cost of electricity (LCoE), contrarily to CSP plants with capacity >100 MW, which provide LCoE < 20 cEUR/kWh. The integration of solid-state converters within CSP plants can enhance the scalability and economic competitiveness of the whole technology, especially at smaller scales, since the conversion efficiency of solid-state converters weakly depends on the size. Here a system with a high-temperature thermionic energy converter (TEC), together with an optical concentrator designed to be cheap even providing high concentration ratios, is proposed to improve the cost-effectiveness of CSP plants, thus achieving conditions for economic sustainability and market competitiveness. This is possible since TEC can act as a conversion topping cycle, directly producing electricity with a possible conversion efficiency of 24.8% estimated by applying realistic conditions and providing useful thermal flows to a secondary thermal stage. Under established technical specifications for the development of optical concentrator and TEC and according to reasonable economic assumptions, the overall plant conversion efficiency is estimated to be 35.5%, with LCoE of 6.9 cEUR/kW and considering the possibility of an 8 h storage tank for a 1 MW input solar energy system. The calculated projected value is an extremely competitive value compared with other available renewable energy technologies at small capacity scales and opens the path for accelerating the deployment of technological efforts to demonstrate the proposed solution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Concentrated Solar Technologies and Applications)

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27 pages, 10863 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Development of Neural Network Prediction Models for the Energy Producibility of a Parabolic Dish: A Comparison with the Analytical Approach

by Valerio Lo Brano, Stefania Guarino, Alessandro Buscemi and Marina Bonomolo

Energies 2022, 15(24), 9298; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15249298 - 08 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1351

Abstract

Solar energy is one of the most widely exploited renewable/sustainable resources for electricity generation, with photovoltaic and concentrating solar power technologies at the forefront of research. This study focuses on the development of a neural network prediction model aimed at assessing the energy [...] Read more.

Solar energy is one of the most widely exploited renewable/sustainable resources for electricity generation, with photovoltaic and concentrating solar power technologies at the forefront of research. This study focuses on the development of a neural network prediction model aimed at assessing the energy producibility of dish–Stirling systems, testing the methodology and offering a useful tool to support the design and sizing phases of the system at different installation sites. Employing the open-source platform TensorFlow, two different classes of feedforward neural networks were developed and validated (multilayer perceptron and radial basis function). The absolute novelty of this approach is the use of real data for the training phase and not predictions coming from another analytical/numerical model. Several neural networks were investigated by varying the level of depth, the number of neurons, and the computing resources involved for two different sets of input variables. The best of all the tested neural networks resulted in a coefficient of determination of 0.98 by comparing the predicted electrical output power values with those measured experimentally. The results confirmed the high reliability of the neural models, and the use of only open-source IT tools guarantees maximum transparency and replicability of the models. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Concentrated Solar Technologies and Applications)

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