Pumping water is considered a common need all around the world. Standalone PV technologies are being increasingly used for midsize pumping applications. PV powered pumping systems offer simplicity, reliability, and low maintenance for irrigation systems. PV powered pump is particularly...

Malaysia enacted the Renewable Energy Act in April 2011. One of its important components is the feed-in tariff (FiT) scheme—launched in December 2011. The scheme is managed and administered by the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) of Malaysia. This paper analyses the impact of...

It is widely recognized that solar energy, a major renewable energy source, can strengthen a country׳s energy security and reduce CO2 emissions. For this reason, Taiwan aims to develop its solar power industry by promoting photovoltaic (PV) applications. To meet its PV installation targets, the...

The literature review shows a wide range of methodologies aiming at determining the photovoltaic (PV) potential. Very often, the methodology scale is too large (continents, countries or large regions) or too small (cities) or it is based on specific and non-commonly available software tools....

Isolated grids in rural areas powered by independent renewable energy sources (‘renewable energy based village grids’) are widely considered a clean and sustainable solution for Indonesia’s rural electrification challenge. Despite the advantages of renewable energy based village grids, the...

This paper describes a novel type of solar concentrator – a rotationally asymmetrical compound parabolic concentrator (RACPC). The RACPC aims at addressing the following objectives: (i) to increase the electrical output of a concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) system by providing sufficient...

There are two ways by which solar energy can be harnessed viz. solar Photo-Voltaic (PV) and Concentrating Solar Power (CSP). This paper focuses on the parameters required for the commissioning of solar power plants in India using these technologies. The key parameters have been identified...

In order to promote the growth of renewable energy sector in Malaysia, feed-in tariff (FiT) mechanism has been introduced by Malaysian government in 2011, in accordance with Renewable Energy Act 2011 and Sustainable Energy Development Authority Act 2011. The tariff was enacted to overcome the...

This paper reviews the adjustments of the feed-in tariffs for new solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in Germany. As PV system prices declined rapidly since 2009, the German government implemented automatic mechanisms to adjust the remuneration level for new installations in response to...

This paper presents a mirror symmetrical dielectric totally internally reflecting concentrator (MSDTIRC). Here, its electrical and optical performances are investigated for building integrated photovoltaic applications. This concentrator is designed to tackle two issues: (i) providing sufficient...