The efficient utilization of the solar spectrum has been intensively addressed by solar researchers in the last decades. For instance, many efforts have been made to improve the efficiency of PV cells and to allow their operation at high temperatures and concentration ratios (CR). On the other...

A 3D numerical model for flat-plate liquid solar collectors has been developed. This model is envisioned for predicting the efficiency curve of the collector, for which the different heat transfer mechanisms involved are simultaneously taken into account: solar radiation absorption, transmission...

Hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) devices can simultaneously generate thermal and electrical energy, but have been limited to low temperature applications. This is done to avoid performance degradation of the PV cell at high temperatures. While the low temperature approach limits PV losses, it...

In this article, experimental investigation of 15 m2 solar parabolic trough collector with porous disc enhanced receiver is carried out according to ASHRAE 93-1986 test procedure. Six different receiver configurations are developed and investigated to compare their performance. The performance...

Photovoltaic (PV) and other solar energy systems are known to lose efficiency as a result of the accumulation of dust on the surface of the panels. These losses have been difficult to predict and vary widely across geographical regions. In this work dust is allowed to naturally accumulate on PV...

In recent years, thermal energy storage (TES) systems using phase change materials (PCM) have been widely studied and developed to be applied as solar energy storage units for residential heating and cooling. These systems performance is based on the latent heat due to PCM phase change, a high...

One of the main advantages of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy is its availability during periods of high electricity demand, namely hot, sunny days. Unfortunately, the daily energy peak of a south-facing solar panel, oriented to maximize energy production, rarely coincides with the actual peak in...

In this study, a novel solar-assisted auto-cascade heat pump cycle (SAHPC) operating with the zeotropic mixture of R32/R290 for small water heaters is proposed. In the SAHPC system, a cascade heat exchanger (CHEX) associated with a phase separator is used to achieve auto cascade cycle and...

This article statistically isolates the impacts of city-level permitting and other local regulatory processes on residential PV prices in the United States. We combine data from two “scoring” mechanisms that independently capture local regulatory process efficiency with the largest dataset...

The development of renewable energy has increased over the past few years due to the high cost of fossil fuels and our great dependence on them. Solar energy has been evaluated in the majority of developed countries. Mexico is known to possess large quantities of renewable energy resources, for...