Abstract Hybrid Solar Simulators (SS) using halogen lamps and LEDs, classified as A for spectral match and temporal instability, are primarily reported for characterizing small solar cells (∼160 cm2). However, spatial nonuniformity reports are rare. This manuscript presents the characterization of a large-area hybrid SS capable of simulating sunlight intensity and spectrum using a combination of 10 white LEDs, 6 halogen lamps, and power LEDs emitting at 450 nm (blue), 750 nm (magenta), and 850 nm (infrared). This setup ensures homogeneous light distribution over a 600 cm2 surface. The proposed SS was characterized according to the IEC 60904-9 standard, analyzing Spectral Match (SM), Spatial Non-Uniformity (SNU), and Temporal Instability (TI). The obtained values (SM = 1.29, SNU = 1.5%, and TI = 0.17%) classify the simulator as BAA. Electrical characterization of a 5W solar panel (300 cm2) was performed via current-voltage (I–V) and power-voltage (P–V) curves under indoor and outdoor conditions. A relative error of less than 4% was found compared to outdoor measurements, making it suitable for photovoltaic device testing. The results demonstrate the feasibility of developing a low-cost SS using incandescent and semiconductor light sources, with potential for characterizing commercial photovoltaic devices.

Abstract This study investigates the performance of two solar air heater designs, S1-SAH and S2-SAH, through experimental analysis of temperature, energy gain and loss, efficiency, and Thermal-Hydraulic Performance Parameter (THPP) across mass flow rates ranging from 0.013 to 0.061 kg/s in hot climatic conditions of R.E.C Banda. The S2-SAH consistently outperformed the conventional S1-SAH, achieving a maximum energy efficiency of 79.3% at 0.051 kg/s and a peak exergy efficiency of 4.5% at 0.013 kg/s. Additionally, the highest THPP of 2.0 was recorded at 0.051 kg/s. The results highlight the superior performance and enhanced efficiency of the S2-SAH, showcasing the effectiveness of its design for improved heat transfer.

Abstract Optics plays a major role in the effectiveness of concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies. The nonintrusive optical (NIO) approach developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory uses uncrewed aircraft system (UAS)-based imaging to survey heliostats in a commercial-scale power tower CSP plant and characterize their optical errors. The image processing algorithm uses photogrammetry to calculate the camera position for each image frame, and the accuracy of the estimated optical errors is highly sensitive to the calculated camera position accuracy. In this study, we simulate a series of case studies in python to examine the impact of different parameters of the sensitivity of the camera calculation, including the number of facet corners used as control points for the photogrammetric calculation, precision error in the detected pixel locations of the facet corners in the image, and precision error of the canting and mounting positions of the facets of the heliostat. The case studies consider heliostat geometry based on three commercial designs to serve as representative examples of different possible sizes of heliostats that the NIO method could be applied to. The results show that increasing the number of control points can improve accuracy for heliostats with many facets, pixel precision has a significantly larger impact on camera calculation accuracy than facet canting and mounting errors, and the camera distance and focal length must be chosen to ensure adequate pixel accuracy on the heliostat surface depending on the size of heliostat. Based on the results, recommendations for the allowable values of each parameter are provided to achieve the required NIO optical error estimation accuracy depending on the size of heliostat.

Abstract A system combining the ventilated concrete floor (VCF) with solar air collector (SAC) in buildings has been applied in the western Sichuan Plateau for nighttime heating. However, the dynamic model coupled with uneven solar radiation of SAC-VCF is absent, thus the thermal behavior of the system is difficult to predict in practice. In this research, a coupled model is built to predict the thermal characteristics of the room with the SAC-VCF system under uneven solar radiation. The calculation model of VCF considers the uneven distribution of solar radiation on the floor surface, established by combining the resistance-capacitance (RC) network model and the number of transfer unit model (NTU) using the discrete method and validated by experimental data. A 3R2C model is utilized to model envelopes, validated by simulation results. The calculation error of surface temperature and room air temperature is within 5%. Then a case study is conducted with the validated model to predict the thermal performance of the SAC-VCF system with even and uneven solar radiation. Results indicate that under uneven solar radiation, the local surface temperature significantly increases to 35.1 °C, 9.1 °C higher than even solar radiation. Meanwhile, under uneven solar radiation, the heat transfer of supply air and surface of VCF is increased by 14% and 6%, respectively. Besides, the room air temperature is almost equal of two cases, while the operative temperature is 0.4 °C lower under uneven solar radiation. The model is beneficial to further study the influencing factors of this system.

Abstract Using bolts through the back of a solar photovoltaic (PV) module frames to attach them to racking is time consuming and awkward, so commercial PV installations use clamping technologies on the front. Conventional and proprietary clamps are costly and demand access to supply chains for uncommon mechanical components that limit deployment velocity. To overcome these challenges, this study presents new open-source downward-fastened and side-fastened aluminum (Al) framing designs, which are easy to install and compatible with metal and wood racks. The proposed parametric open-source designs are analyzed through finite element method (FEM) simulations and economic analysis is performed to compare to conventional PV frame at both the module and system levels. The FEM results showed all the frames have acceptable mechanical reliability and stability to pass IEC 61215 standards. The results show the new frame (with a bottom width of 29 mm and thickness of 1.5 mm) has about a 2% land use efficiency penalty, but has better mechanical stability (lower stress and deflections), is easier to install, and has reduced material economic costs compared to conventional frames. The results are promising for the use of the new PV frame designs for distributed manufacturing targeted at specific applications.

Abstract Utilizing highly concentrated solar power for thermochemical processing as one of the extraterrestrial in situ resource utilization (ISRU) applications has been highlighted as an essential technique to support deep-space exploration in the future. Multi-source high-flux solar simulators (HFSSs) are widely employed to provide stable irradiance for indoor solar thermal experiments. Meanwhile, numerical modeling that can characterize the radiation transport mechanisms within the solar thermal system has been developed for performance evaluation before field trials. However, significant differences between simulated and measured flux distributions were shown for existing models developed based on the Monte-Carlo ray-tracing (MCRT) method, which has been attributed to only one or two specific reasons. In this paper, we proposed a comprehensive analysis of the concentration characteristics of a 42 kW metal-halide lamp HFSS, developed at Swinburne University of Technology, considering the effect of five aspects. The flux distribution, uniformity, and vector distribution under different configurations were compared to quantify the influence of these factors on receiving irradiance. The suitable arc size, reflector shape, and reflector surface properties of the existing HFSS have also been numerically determined to improve the model and reduce the root mean square error (RMSE) for the lamp array from 38.2% to 8.3%. This research provides a potential pathway to numerically predict the radiation transfer performance of HFSSs and determine the suitable configuration for desired solar thermochemical applications.

Abstract This paper presents the use of sliding pressure inventory control (SPIC) of a 10 MW supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle for concentrated solar power, incorporating printed circuit heat exchangers. Load regulation using SPIC for three representative ambient conditions 45 °C, 30 °C, and 15 °C are considered. While a wide operating range from 10 MW to less than 1 MW part load is obtained, a notable cycle efficiency decline at part load is also seen. Irreversibility analysis reveals that deterioration in recuperator and turbomachinery performance are primarily responsible for cycle performance degradation at part load. Nevertheless, useful inferences are obtained from the 10 MW SPIC irreversibility study. With a slightly increased value of heat exchanger length, a non-condensing 1 MW subcritical CO2 cycle operating between 35 bar/53 bar is found to be as efficient as a 1 MW supercritical CO2 cycle operating between 88 bar/210 bar. The major benefit of choosing the subcritical CO2 cycle for 1 MW scale applications is the significantly reduced turbomachinery speed (∼26,000 rpm) in comparison with supercritical CO2 turbomachinery (∼67,000 rpm) for the same power scale. These advantages are found to be true for air-based ideal gas cycles operating between 35 bar/53 bar too, with the latter requiring nominally smaller heat exchangers than the subcritical CO2 cycle. The final choice of working fluid, however, for these low-pressure cycles would depend on practical considerations, such as material compatibilities at high temperatures, corrosion considerations, and cost.

Abstract This paper investigates a solar air heater’s thermohydraulic and thermogeometric performances with an artificially roughened absorber plate with Joukowski airfoil ribs. The rib height and shape have a bearing on the overall performance of the air heater. Joukowski airfoil ribs of different sizes are generated from a circular rib of a radius of 1 mm using conformal mapping. Simulations are performed for the turbulent flow of air through the roughened duct in the Reynolds number (Re) range of 4000 ≤ Re ≤ 15,000 using ansys fluent version 2020. The renormalization group kinetic energy-turbulence dissipation rate (RNGκ−ε) model with enhanced wall treatment (EWT) has been employed to model the turbulent flow. The grid refinement study is performed to optimize the mesh size and estimate the numerical solution error. The proposed rib design is tested for both headwind and tailwind flow arrangements. The tailwind performance is better for smaller-size Joukowski ribs. However, the medium- and large-size Joukowski ribs perform better in headwind configurations. At low Re, heat transfer is more dominant than friction leading to higher thermohydraulic performance, whereas, at high Re, the reverse trend is observed.

Abstract This paper presents a detailed analysis of the optical performance of circular trough concentrators with tubular receivers. First, a simple analytical formula for the achievable geometric concentration ratio as a function of the rim angle and acceptance angle is developed. Notably, the development reveals the existence of three distinct concentration ratio regimes: a first regime where the receiver is sized based on the reflection of the edge rays from the rim alone, a second regime where the receiver is sized based on the rim and the edge ray caustics, and a third regime where two reflections from the mirror are permitted. Several exemplary designs are proposed and further analyzed using Monte Carlo ray tracing to obtain transmission angle curves and receiver flux distributions. For an acceptance angle of 1 deg, the circular trough concentrator with circular receiver is found to achieve a maximum geometric concentration ratio of 7.695× with a peak flux of 30 suns. For large acceptance angles (10 deg), the circular trough achieves a geometric concentration ratio as high as 82% of that of a parabolic trough. This noteworthy performance, along with the fact that a circular mirror is amenable to an inflated polymer construction, makes this configuration promising for low-cost, low-concentration solar thermal applications.