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Technical Problems in the Production and Distribution of Energy from Renewable Energy Sources

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A: Sustainable Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 17106

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Konrad Zajkowski

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Department of Energy, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Koszalin, Koszalin, Poland
Interests: practical and theoretical experience in the field of electronics; electrotechnics and energetics; artificial neural networks; technical diagnostics; power theory; energy systems; electric drives; reactive power compensation and overvoltage reduction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Jacek Paś

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Guest Editor

Division of Electronic System Exploitations, Institute of Electronic Systems, Faculty of Electronics, Military University of Technology, 2 Gen. S. Kaliski St, 00-908 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: electromagnetics; electromagnetic compatibility; EMC; RF circuit Simulation; railway; electrical engineering; diagnostics; electronic security systems - operation; operational reliability of electronic security systems; issues of power supply of electronic systems

Dr. Piotr Kisiel

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Guest Editor

Department of Manufacturing Systems, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, AGH University of Science and Technology, Cracow, Poland
Interests: elements of the drive system; diagnostics of drive systems; electric drives in production and transport equipment; design and selection of elements of drive systems; machine design; production control; logistics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The current development of the energy sector is mainly focused on renewable energy sources. It is a global trend reinforced by political, environmental and, recently, economic directives. Even resistance to new technologies in renewable energy sources has no effect on their progress, as the development of this field of energy is becoming a global trend. The improvement in the functioning of renewable energy sources is influenced by activities on many levels, starting from political, legal and economic guidelines; through to technical aspects in production, cooperation with other energy sources, transmission in a distributed network and changing the direction of energy flow; and ending with the optimization of energy consumption in the design, production and operation process. In addition to the above aspects, the most important consideration is ensuring the continuity of energy supplies and their quality.

The background and objectives of this Special Issue focus on research challenges and trends in renewable energy sources. In addition to electricity, there are other types of energy to be aware of in stationary and mobile solutions. Therefore, articles dealing with the above problems concerning all stages of energy production and operation of technological devices will be welcome. Undoubtedly, the materials describing completed concepts that have already been implemented or are on the verge of implementation will be of particular value for the reader.

Dr. Konrad Zajkowski
Dr. Jacek Paś
Dr. Piotr Kisiel
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

renewable energy sources
energy systems
energy saving
hybrid power system

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 8533 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimization of Cooling Channel Structure of Bipolar Plate for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells Based on CFD Analysis

by Wenbin Wang, Haoran Jia, Guoxiang Li, Wen Sun, Ke Sun, Shuzhan Bai and Hao Cheng

Energies 2023, 16(16), 5858; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16165858 - 8 Aug 2023

Viewed by 1067

Abstract

The working temperature affects the performance of PEMFC, so a reasonable and efficient cooling channel is necessary to control the working temperature in an efficient area. In this study, the channel structure of the bipolar plate for PEMFC is analyzed using the FLUENT simulation calculation method. The influence of cell size and cooling water flow direction on cell temperature distribution is analyzed, including an examination of the channel ridge width, depth, and aspect ratio of the bipolar plate. After comparing and analyzing three ridge width sizes (0.5 mm, 1.5 mm and 2 mm) in the paper, it was found that a ridge width of 2 mm had the best heat transfer performance. And it was found that a groove depth of 0.5 mm had the best heat transfer performance when comparing three groove depth dimensions (0.5 mm, 1 mm and 1.5 mm). The aspect ratio size parameters had almost no effect on the maximum and average temperatures of the electric stacks, while the relative flow direction of cooling water had a great influence on the temperature distribution of the bipolar plate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technical Problems in the Production and Distribution of Energy from Renewable Energy Sources)

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26 pages, 10137 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Optimization Design of a Parallel Flow Field for PEMFC with Bosses in Flow Channels

by Guodong Zhang, Zhen Guan, Da Li, Guoxiang Li, Shuzhan Bai, Ke Sun and Hao Cheng

Energies 2023, 16(14), 5492; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16145492 - 20 Jul 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1470

Abstract

The proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is a promising energy conversion device due to its high reliability, fast response speed, and low pollutant emission. However, the reality of its commercial application requires further cost reduction and efficiency improvement. The material distribution in the channel and the performance of PEMFC can be improved by setting the boss inside the flow channels. In this paper, the performance of PEMFC with the boss in flow channels in a parallel flow field was analyzed by simulation. The influence of different boss arrangements and heights on gas pressure drop, distribution uniformity, gas component distribution, temperature distribution, and output performance of the fuel cell were analyzed in detail. The bosses would increase the pressure drop and the distribution uniformity of reactive gases in flow channels significantly. The cross-arrangement of bosses is better than the cross-arrangement of bosses and juxtaposition according to increasing performance and pressure drop. The cross-arrangement with a boss height of 0.4 mm is suitable for the parallel flow field in this paper. The improved scheme of flow channel design is proposed to provide a reference for fuel cells for subsequent research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technical Problems in the Production and Distribution of Energy from Renewable Energy Sources)

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20 pages, 4890 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Simulation and Control Strategy Study of the Hydrogen Supply System of a Fuel Cell Engine

by Ming Zhao, Wenbin Wang, Xiaochun Zhu, Mengxue Cao, Zhengyuan Gao, Ke Sun, Shuzhan Bai and Guoxiang Li

Energies 2023, 16(13), 4931; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16134931 - 25 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1154

Abstract

The hydrogen supply system is one of the important components of a hydrogen fuel cell engine, and its performance has an important impact on the economy and power of the engine system. In this paper, a hydrogen supply system based on cyclic mode is designed for a hydrogen fuel cell stack with a full load power of 150 kW, and the corresponding hydrogen fuel cell engine simulation model is built and validated. The control strategy of the fuel cell hydrogen supply system is developed, and its effect is verified through bench tests. The results show that the developed control strategy can keep the volume fraction of nitrogen below 6%, the hydrogen excess ratio does not exceed 1.5 under medium and high operating conditions, the anode pressure is relatively stable, and the stack can operate efficiently and reliably. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technical Problems in the Production and Distribution of Energy from Renewable Energy Sources)

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22 pages, 3490 KiB

Open AccessArticle

by Jacek Paś

Energies 2023, 16(8), 3351; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16083351 - 10 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2053

Abstract

The article presents basic issues associated with the power supply of integrated electronic security systems (IESS) operated in various facilities. Ensuring the reliability of an IESS power supply is an important issue associated with the operation of these systems that are responsible for the safety of people, accumulated property, natural environment, and cooperating structures—e.g., storage facilities. IESSs are operated under harsh external or internal environmental conditions. In such a case, we are dealing with processes of beneficial or adverse impact, which actively affects IESS operation. The IESS operation process is also associated with ensuring power supply continuity under normal operating conditions. This also means ensuring transition to backup power supply systems in the event of failures. Therefore, an IESS should exhibit high reliability related to the power supply process. To this end, the article presents two representative IESSs operated in buildings and in a vast area. The analysis covered the processes of power supply from basic energy sources (BES) and backup sources in cases of failures. The further segment of the article describes developed models of these power systems with acceptable and unacceptable technical states associated with an IESS power supply. The last section of the article defines a model and graph of a selected IESS operation process and describes a conducted computer simulation associated with operational safety. Such an operation process analysis enabled drawing conclusions that can be utilized throughout the entire IESS operation process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technical Problems in the Production and Distribution of Energy from Renewable Energy Sources)

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36 pages, 3093 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Wind Power Forecasts and Network Learning Process Optimization through Input Data Set Selection

by Mateusz Dutka, Bogusław Świątek and Zbigniew Hanzelka

Energies 2023, 16(6), 2562; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16062562 - 8 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1361

Abstract

Energy policies of the European Union, the United States, China, and many other countries are focused on the growth in the number of and output from renewable energy sources (RES). That is because RES has become increasingly more competitive when compared to conventional sources, such as coal, nuclear energy, oil, or gas. In addition, there is still a lot of untapped wind energy potential in Europe and worldwide. That is bound to result in continuous growth in the share of sources that demonstrate significant production variability in the overall energy mix, as they depend on the weather. To ensure efficient energy management, both its production and grid flow, it is necessary to employ forecasting models for renewable energy source-based power plants. That will allow us to estimate the production volume well in advance and take the necessary remedial actions. The article discusses in detail the development of forecasting models for RES, dedicated, among others, to wind power plants. Describes also the forecasting accuracy improvement process through the selection of the network structure and input data set, as well as presents the impact of weather factors and how much they affect the energy generated by the wind power plant. As a result of the research, the best structures of neural networks and data for individual objects were selected. Their diversity is due to the differences between the power plants in terms of location, installed capacity, energy conversion technology, land orography, the distance between turbines, and the available data set. The method proposed in the article, using data from several points and from different meteorological forecast providers, allowed us to reduce the forecast error of the NMAPE generation to 3.3%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technical Problems in the Production and Distribution of Energy from Renewable Energy Sources)

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30 pages, 11529 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimum Design of a Renewable-Based Integrated Energy System in Autonomous Mode for a Remote Hilly Location in Northeastern India

by Samrat Chakraborty, Debottam Mukherjee, Pabitra Kumar Guchhait, Somudeep Bhattacharjee, Almoataz Youssef Abdelaziz and Adel El-Shahat

Energies 2023, 16(4), 1588; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16041588 - 4 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1854

Abstract

Integration of a grid with an under-developed remote hilly area faces various technical and geographical challenges. Thus, generation of power from renewable resources in off-grid conditions has become one of the most cost-effective and reliable solutions for such areas. The present research deals with the possible application of an integrated solar/hydro/biomass/battery-based system to generate power in autonomous mode for a remote hilly town of a northeastern Indian state. Four different cases of the integrated energy system (IES) were designed using the hybrid optimization model for electric renewable (HOMER Pro), examining the performance of each case. The best combination of the integrated system was chosen out of several cases depending upon the optimized solution that can meet the load demand of the proposed hilly town sustainably, reliably and continuously. The simulation results show that the integrated battery/biomass/hydro/solar-based system is the best optimized, cheapest and most suitable solution to generate renewable-based power for the specified location, having the lowest net present cost (NPC) of USD 644,183.70 with a levelized cost of energy (COE) of 0.1282 USD/kWh. Further, the result also indicates that the optimized configuration reduces the emission of CO₂ gas in the environment compared to the battery/biomass/hydro system having the worst emission rate. A sensitivity study was also carried out with variation in load, hydro stream flow and solar irradiation, respectively that may largely affect the technical as well as economical aspect of an integrated energy system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technical Problems in the Production and Distribution of Energy from Renewable Energy Sources)

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39 pages, 8066 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Novel Stochastic Optimizer Solving Optimal Reactive Power Dispatch Problem Considering Renewable Energy Resources

by Mohammed Hamouda Ali, Ahmed Mohammed Attiya Soliman, Mohamed Abdeen, Tarek Kandil, Almoataz Y. Abdelaziz and Adel El-Shahat

Energies 2023, 16(4), 1562; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16041562 - 4 Feb 2023

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1582

Abstract

Optimal Reactive Power Dispatch (ORPD is thought of as a noncontinuous, nonlinear global optimization problem. Within the system’s constraints, the ORPD manages to accomplish the reactive power flow. Due to its more intricate linkage of variables, the reactive power issue is more challenging to resolve than the optimum power flow issue. With the existence of renewable energy resources (RERs), solving the ORPD problem to attain the most stable and secure system condition has become a more challenging task. The goal of this article is to solve the objective function of ORPD combined with RERs using a metaheuristic novel optimizer named the African Vultures Optimization Algorithm abbreviated by (AVOA), where the formulation of the ORPD issue including minimization of three single objective functions as follows, voltage deviation, system operating cost, and real power loss, is introduced and also transmission power loss minimization is embraced with the simultaneous incorporation of the optimal renewable energy resources (RERs). Where the ORPD problem complexity grows exponentially with a mixture of continuous and discrete control variables, two distinct continuous and discrete types of optimization variables are considered, and the proposed single objective functions that meet different operating constraints are then transformed into a coefficient multi-objective ORPD problem and elucidated using the weighted sum approach. To validate the suggested algorithm’s effectiveness in addressing the ORPD issue, it is evaluated on three standard IEEE networks: the IEEE-30 bus small-scale network, the IEEE-57 bus medium-scale network, and the IEEE-118 bus large-scale network using different scenarios and the outcomes are compared to these other popular optimization techniques. The findings show that the suggested AVOA algorithm provides an efficient and sturdy high-quality solution for tackling ORPD situations and vastly enhances the overall system performance of power at all scales. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technical Problems in the Production and Distribution of Energy from Renewable Energy Sources)

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17 pages, 5115 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cooperation of a Non-Linear Receiver with a Three-Phase Power Grid

by Konrad Zajkowski, Stanisław Duer, Jacek Paś and László Pokorádi

Energies 2023, 16(3), 1418; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16031418 - 1 Feb 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1316

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of electrical parameters in a three-phase circuit characterized by the generation of harmonics. The Currents Physical Components (CPC) power theory for three-phase circuits were used. Relationships for three-wire circuits were used, and mathematical relationships were determined to enable decomposition into those components that depend on the direction of energy flow and the reasons for their creation. A calculation example using the previously determined dependencies was presented, and the results of the calculations were discussed. When mathematical analyses are required in circuits with non-linear receivers, and in particular, when there is a cooperation of several such receivers with a common power grid, the calculation concept presented is important. The generation of identical harmonic orders by several receivers causes a disturbance in the direction of energy flow in the power grid. For this reason, the case of a non-linear receiver generating harmonics of orders that has existed before in the power grid seems very interesting. Determining the value of individual powers can be used to estimate the impact of individual receivers on the quality of electricity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technical Problems in the Production and Distribution of Energy from Renewable Energy Sources)

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Review

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10 pages, 2183 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Crystalline Silicon (c-Si)-Based Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact (TOPCon) Solar Cells: A Review

by Hayat Ullah, Stanislaw Czapp, Seweryn Szultka, Hanan Tariq, Usama Bin Qasim and Hassan Imran

Energies 2023, 16(2), 715; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16020715 - 7 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4429

Abstract

Contact selectivity is a key parameter for enhancing and improving the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of crystalline silicon (c-Si)-based solar cells. Carrier selective contacts (CSC) are the key technology which has the potential to achieve a higher PCE for c-Si-based solar cells closer to their theoretical efficiency limit. A recent and state-of-the-art approach in this domain is the tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) approach, which is completely different from the existing classical heterojunction solar cells. The main and core element of this contact is the tunnel oxide, and its main role is to cut back the minority carrier recombination at the interface. A state-of-the-art n-type c-Si-based TOPCon solar cell featuring a passivated rear contact was experimentally analyzed, and the highest PCE record of ~25.7% was achieved. It has a high fill factor (FF) of ~83.3%. These reported results prove that the highest efficiency potential is that of the passivated full area rear contact structures and it is more efficient than that of the partial rear contact (PRC) structures. In this paper, a review is presented which considers the key characteristics of TOPCon solar cells, i.e., minority carrier recombination, contact resistance, and surface passivation. Additionally, practical challenges and key issues related to TOPCon solar cells are also highlighted. Finally, the focus turns to the characteristics of TOPCon solar cells, which offer an improved and better understanding of doping layers and tunnel oxide along with their mutual and combined effect on the overall performance of TOPCon solar cells. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technical Problems in the Production and Distribution of Energy from Renewable Energy Sources)

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