Renewable energy technologies gained substantial importance in recent years which reduced the use of conventional hydrocarbon fuels significantly, since they are sustainable, green and environment friendly. Large amount of energy is... more
Renewable energy technologies gained substantial importance in recent years which reduced the use of conventional hydrocarbon fuels significantly, since they are sustainable, green and environment friendly. Large amount of energy is utilized by buildings especially for cooling purpose. It is estimated that 40 percent of the world’s total energy is used by the buildings, resulting in 33 percent of the greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions every year. To overcome the excessive energy consumed by the cooling equipment, free cooling of the buildings using latent heat thermal energy storage (LTES) technologies via phase change materials (PCMs) is one of the feasible options to fulfill the energy demand of the building in an economical and efficient way. A “free cooling” technique that uses PCMs as cold accumulators during night time ventilation of buildings. In this concept cold air at night time is consumed to freeze PCM to a lower temperature and this cold energy stored is used during day time. “Lauryl alcohol” encapsulated into aluminium tube placed in a wooden box is used as PCM in experiments for free cooling technique. Air is passed above the tube in a properly designed channel to store and release the energy during charging and discharging. About 160g of lauryl alcohol is used to store 37 kJ and recovered 35 kJ of energy during phase change with heat transfer during charging and discharging is 9.6W and 9.37W respectively. The results indicate good performance of lauryl alcohol for passive/free cooling applications.
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Anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD) has been practiced for decades to convert waste into value-added energy products, especially biogas. This study aimed to assess the potential of biogenic methane (CH4) production from the co-digestion of... more
Anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD) has been practiced for decades to convert waste into value-added energy products, especially biogas. This study aimed to assess the potential of biogenic methane (CH4) production from the co-digestion of pretreated cotton gin trash (CGT), cow manure, and sludge. CGT contains high cellulosic content, making it a reliable feedstock for biogenic methane production. To further improve the biogas quantity and quality, the CGT was subjected to physical pretreatments, i.e., hot water (HW), ultra-sonication (US), and a combination of both (HW+US). After 91 days of AcoD, 79–110 L of biogas was produced by the treatments. Among the treatments, HW+US-pretreated CGT presented maximum biogas production capacity, at 110 L. Besides, this treatment showed the high-quality biogenic CH4 content, 52.4% of the total biogas volume, with an improved conversion rate of 0.37 L/g of volatile suspended solids consumed. In addition, this study discussed the structural changes in ...
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Anaerobic co-digestion provides a promising solution for converting inexpensive carbon from wastes to biogenic methane. We used microalgae (Nannochloropsis oculata) with cow manure and sludge to produce a better quantity and quality of... more
Anaerobic co-digestion provides a promising solution for converting inexpensive carbon from wastes to biogenic methane. We used microalgae (Nannochloropsis oculata) with cow manure and sludge to produce a better quantity and quality of biogas. To further improve the gas production, microalgae were pretreated with ultrasonication, hot water, and a combination of both. Interestingly, the results showed that the pretreatment of microalgae decreased biogas production by 5 to 30%. The no-pretreatment runs produced a maximum of 118 L of biogas. The relative content of biogenic methane was higher in the pretreated feedstock (48 to 52%) in comparison with the no-pretreatment runs (44%). The conversion of volatile suspended solids present in the feedstock to total biogenic methane production was highest in hot-water-treated runs. The carbon content in the gas produced by the pretreated microalgae peaked (38%) in the middle of the experiment (i.e., at 45 days), whereas for no-pretreatment run...
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Anaerobic co-digestion provides a promising solution for converting inexpensive carbon from wastes to biogenic methane. We used microalgae (Nannochloropsis oculata) with cow manure and sludge to produce a better quantity and quality of... more
Anaerobic co-digestion provides a promising solution for converting inexpensive carbon from wastes to biogenic methane. We used microalgae (Nannochloropsis oculata) with cow manure and sludge to produce a better quantity and quality of biogas. To further improve the gas production, microalgae were pretreated with ultrasonication, hot water, and a combination of both. Interestingly, the results showed that the pretreatment of microalgae decreased biogas production by 5 to 30%. The no-pretreatment runs produced a maximum of 118 L of biogas. The relative content of biogenic methane was higher in the pretreated feedstock (48 to 52%) in comparison with the no-pretreatment runs (44%). The conversion of volatile suspended solids present in the feedstock to total biogenic methane production was highest in hot-water-treated runs. The carbon content in the gas produced by the pretreated microalgae peaked (38%) in the middle of the experiment (i.e., at 45 days), whereas for no-pretreatment run...
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Low energy conversion efficiency of a solar photovoltaic module is a major issue that prevents people from using this technology. One of the major causes of low efficiency is the high operating cell temperature of the PV panel. It causes... more
Low energy conversion efficiency of a solar photovoltaic module is a major issue that prevents people from using this technology. One of the major causes of low efficiency is the high operating cell temperature of the PV panel. It causes the occurrence of current mismatch and hotspot problems that not only degrade the overall performance of the module but also permanently damage the cell due to thermal stress. In this paper, an experimental study has been conducted to investigate the effect of cooling on the efficiency of mono-crystalline and poly-crystalline photovoltaic modules. A backside water cooling piping model is used in the experiment. Copper pipes are bend in an elliptical shape and thermally bonded at the backside of photovoltaic panels that act as a heat exchanger. The thermal conductivity of copper is around 385 W/m-K which is comparatively high to other useable metals. The advantage associated with specific elliptical shape copper pipe cooling model induction is that t...
The photovoltaic (PV) systems produce heat and electricity at the same time. Heat produced by conventional PV systems is of low-grade nature that cannot be used efficiently in high temperature application. In this article a novel PV... more
The photovoltaic (PV) systems produce heat and electricity at the same time. Heat produced by conventional PV systems is of low-grade nature that cannot be used efficiently in high temperature application. In this article a novel PV thermal air collector has been worked out that can produce heat of high-grade nature as well as electricity. To obtain high temperature vacuum has been created between the solar cells and glass glazing that will reduce the thermal loss. Currently, in this work, a mathematical model is presented for single glazed evacuated flat plate photovoltaic-thermal (EFPVT) air collector to investigate its performance under different working conditions. The model is established on heat balance equations constructed for each component of the EFPVT air collector, considering a steady state heat transfer. MATLAB software is used to develop the computer code for the heat balance model and to run the iterative simulations. Simulations are performed at different mass flow ...
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Abstract Rising concerns of environmental degradation and energy security particularly in developing countries like Pakistan has exhilarated the need for energy storage systems for efficient source utilization. Phase Change Material (PCM)... more
Abstract Rising concerns of environmental degradation and energy security particularly in developing countries like Pakistan has exhilarated the need for energy storage systems for efficient source utilization. Phase Change Material (PCM) based Thermal Energy Storage (TES) systems are used with air conditioning systems for thermal load management in buildings. The TES system discussed in this paper consists of a macro-encapsulated PCM Magnesium chloride hexahydrate (MCHH) in aluminum cylinders. The system is integrated with a domestic gas heater to capture extra energy dissipated by the gas heater, used to raise the room temperature to the thermal comfort level. A numerical model is developed in MATLAB based on the enthalpy method for the performance analysis and investigating the phase transition phenomenon of MCHH, followed by experimental validation. Different thermal performance indices of TES are investigated such as liquid fraction, energy, and exergy stored during the charging/discharging process. The model has predicted 42 kJ and 9 kJ of energy and exergy stored, respectively during the charging cycle, while experimentations showed 39.6 kJ and 6 kJ energy and exergy stored in the material, respectively. The deviation of 15% in energy and 33.33% in exergy from experimental results indicated that the actual phase transition is non-isothermal and the mathematical model does not include the factor to accommodate the actual melting phenomenon with changing thermophysical properties of PCM. This performance analysis is significant to design and optimize the PCM-based TES coupled with conventional heating sources.
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Thermal energy storage is an active field of research that can be adopted for energy efficiency and conservation in thermal applications on conventional systems. Moreover, they are equally effective to be used with renewable resources to... more
Thermal energy storage is an active field of research that can be adopted for energy efficiency and conservation in thermal applications on conventional systems. Moreover, they are equally effective to be used with renewable resources to mitigate their intermittency in terms of availability. This paper covers the experimental investigation of the latent thermal energy storage system, in which Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate (MgCl2.6H2O) was used as thermal energy storage material. Literature lists MgCl2.6H2O as a strong candidate for thermal energy storage in the medium range with melting temperature of 117.5° C and latent heat of 168.6 kJ/kg. Aluminum encapsulation was used with PCM for testing with gas heater. The flame temperature of domestic gas heater ranges from 600 to 800° C, at this temperature the PCM was fully charged in less than 900s and stored about 30 kJ of thermal energy till the final temperature of the material reached to 320° C. In the discharging phase, subcooling was observed and the material released thermal energy to a threshold temperature of 60° C in 930s. This study considered the direct contact TES system.
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With the increasing demand of clean and energy-efficient air conditioning systems, evaporative air cooling technique is gaining significant attention owing to less energy consumption and environmentally safe technology in comparison with... more
With the increasing demand of clean and energy-efficient air conditioning systems, evaporative air cooling technique is gaining significant attention owing to less energy consumption and environmentally safe technology in comparison with conventional refrigerant-based air conditioners. In this study, commercial desiccant dehumidifier is coupled with experimentally developed direct evaporative cooling (DEC) system to first dehumidify the air and then pass it through DEC to achieve human thermal comfort level defined by ASHRAE standards. Under the climatic conditions of Islamabad, Pakistan, multiple experiments were carried out at different temperatures, flowrate, and relative humidity of air during November, when air temperature and relative humidity were in the range of 25–30 °C and 40–60%, respectively. To analyze the system performance under summer ambient conditions, indoor temperature was increased by 8–10 °C and relative humidity by 15–25% in laboratory. Experimental analysis s...
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Some of the recent challenges encountered in research and development of the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry include the decrease in electrical output efficiency of a conventional solar PV module due to the rise in its surface... more
Some of the recent challenges encountered in research and development of the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry include the decrease in electrical output efficiency of a conventional solar PV module due to the rise in its surface temperature. The main objective of this research work is to enhance and improve the electrical output efficiency of a common silicon-based solar PV module by lowering the operating temperature of the PV module, which was accomplished by attaching hollow rectangular aluminum tubes as a fin to the rear surface of the solar PV panel. The proposed geometrical configuration of tubes helped to increase the PV module heat transfer rate to the surrounding air by increasing the effective heat transfer area without increasing the overall weight of the PV module. In this experimental study, a comparative analysis has been presented for PV modules with fins and without fins. The results obtained from experiments demonstrated that the attached fins reduced the average temperature of the front and rear surfaces up to 8.97% and 8.41%, respectively. The cooling effect produced due to fins improved the open circuit voltage up to 12.97% and the electrical output efficiency up to 2.08%. Furthermore, the results are thoroughly compared with other published studies, which revealed that the proposed configuration is cost effective and structurally sound.
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A significant portion of energy is consumed by the buildings to provide thermal comfort for its occupants. Energy consumed by the conventional cooling machines is expected to increase substantially around the globe. Cooling systems... more
A significant portion of energy is consumed by the buildings to provide thermal comfort for its occupants. Energy consumed by the conventional cooling machines is expected to increase substantially around the globe. Cooling systems coupled with phase change materials offer a high potential to minimize the cooling energy demand and shifting peak time cooling load to off-peak time period without compromising the indoor comfort conditions. The interest in phase change material utilization for cooling applications has been increasing significantly over the last decade because of their energy saving benefits in building sector. Therefore, in this work, effectiveness of the phase change material storage coupled with free cooling, evaporative cooling, and compressor-based cooling techniques in reducing the energy consumption or shifting the peak cooling load have been discussed and analyzed in detail. Different types of phase change materials used for active cooling systems along with thei...
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Performance of solar absorption cooling systems (SACS) is the focus of contemporary studies for decreasing the electrical energy consumption of buildings as the conventional cooling system of buildings is the main consumer of electrical... more
Performance of solar absorption cooling systems (SACS) is the focus of contemporary studies for decreasing the electrical energy consumption of buildings as the conventional cooling system of buildings is the main consumer of electrical energy during the summer season in hot–humid climates. In this study, the performance analysis of SACS by manipulating different flow schemes to the heat transfer fluid between different components of the system was performed. TRNSYS model of SACS in an education building located at the city of Peshawar (34.00 N, 71.54 E), Pakistan to encounter the peak cooling load of 108 kW (during operating hours of the building i.e., 09 a.m. to 05 p.m.) is developed and all possible flow schemes of heat transfer fluid between the system’s components were compared. In Scheme-1 (S-1), a conventional flow pattern is used in which the hot water exiting from the chiller unit flows directly toward the stratified thermal storage unit. In Scheme-2 (S-2), the modified flo...
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Microalgae has proven potential for producing products that are accepted as an alternate energy source. An attempt is made to further improve the efficiency of pyrolysis in terms of product yields and characteristics by adding cotton gin... more
Microalgae has proven potential for producing products that are accepted as an alternate energy source. An attempt is made to further improve the efficiency of pyrolysis in terms of product yields and characteristics by adding cotton gin trash and cattle manure as a mixed feedstock (cobiomass). A statistically significant number of treatments were made by mixing different amounts of cotton gin trash and cattle manure with microalgae (Nannochloropsis oculata). These treatments were pyrolyzed at different temperatures (400 to 600 °C ) and product yields and characteristics were analyzed. The pyrolysis of cobiomass resulted in higher yield for bio-oil and char as compared to microalgae alone. An operating temperature of 500 °C was found to be the best suitable for high bio-oil yield. The high heating values (hhv) of bio-oil were observed to be maximum at 500 °C and for syngas and char, the heating value slightly increased with further increase in temperature. Comparatively, the bio-oil...
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CO2 capture at high temperature through calcium looping is a capable technology for the implementation of carbon capture and storage. The major drawback of this process is the rapid deactivation of...
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Pyrolysis of anaerobically digested sludge can serve as an efficient biomass for biofuel production. Pyrolysis produces products like char, bio-oil, and combustible gases by thermochemical conversion process. It can be used for sludge... more
Pyrolysis of anaerobically digested sludge can serve as an efficient biomass for biofuel production. Pyrolysis produces products like char, bio-oil, and combustible gases by thermochemical conversion process. It can be used for sludge treatment that decreases sludge disposal problems. Sludge produced from anaerobic co-digestion (microalgae, cow dung, and paper) waste has high carbon and hydrogen content. We investigated the candidacy of the anaerobic sludge having high heating value (HHV) of 20.53 MJ/kg as a reliable biomass for biofuels production. The process of pyrolysis was optimized with different temperatures (400, 500, and 600 °C) to produce high quantity and improved quality of the products, mainly bio-oil, char, and gas. The results revealed that with the increase in pyrolysis temperature the quantity of char decreased (81% to 55%), bio-oil increased (3% to 7%), and gas increased (2% to 5%). The HHV of char (19.2 MJ/kg), bio-oil (28.1 MJ/kg), and gas (18.1 MJ/kg) were predo...
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AbstractBuildings exploit 40% of the total annual global energy consumption and account for 33% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions around the world. A significant portion of this energy is consu...
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Abstract Effect of Phase Change Material (PCM) on electrical efficiency and operating temperature of PV panel is studied in this article. PCM is filled in rotatable shutters attached to the back side of PV panel. PCM filled rotatable... more
Abstract Effect of Phase Change Material (PCM) on electrical efficiency and operating temperature of PV panel is studied in this article. PCM is filled in rotatable shutters attached to the back side of PV panel. PCM filled rotatable shutters are used to ensure the complete solidification of PCM during non-sunshine hours. During sunshine hours PCM filled shutters are closed and absorb excess heat generated by PV panel. The absorbed heat is discharged by rotating the PCM filled shutters to ambient during non-sunshine hours. The modeling results revealed that conventional PV panel temperature without PCM can be as high as 64 °C that can be reduced to 42 °C using PCM filled shutters with melting temperature of 35 °C. Efficiency can be improved up to 9% during peak summer season for the PV panel working under hot humid climatic conditions. Maximum benefits of PCM in terms of temperature reduction and are observed during the summer season compared to the winter season. The study also suggested that states if the PCM melting temperature is approximately equal to the average of the maximum ambient temperature of all summer months, then maximum benefits in terms of efficiency improvement and temperature reduction can be achieved for the whole year.
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Agricultural residues have high potential for biogas production, complex lignocellulosic structure is however the main hindrance in their bioconversion. This research focuses on combined effect of alkaline pretreatment of rice straw and... more
Agricultural residues have high potential for biogas production, complex lignocellulosic structure is however the main hindrance in their bioconversion. This research focuses on combined effect of alkaline pretreatment of rice straw and magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticle application. Four doses of magnetite nanoparticles viz. 60, 80, 100 and 120 ppm were used in the anaerobic digestion of untreated and 2% NaOH pretreated rice straw. Compared to control, 2% NaOH pretreatment alone increased biogas and methane yield by 57 and 60% respectively. Magnetite nanoparticle (MNP) application alone gave maximum yield at 100 ppm which consisted of 37 and 33% more biogas and methane yield respectively. Combining the effect of 2% NaOH pretreatment and 120 ppm MNPs synergistically increased biogas and methane yield by 100 and 129% as compared to control. In addition, an energy assessment indicated a positive net gain of 3765 kJ for 2% NaOH pretreated rice straw with 120 ppm MNPs.
Research Interests: Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Cleaner Production, Biomass, Bioenergy, and 15 moreBiogas, Multidisciplinary, Biomass to fuel conversion, Biofuels, Lignocellulose Degradation, Anaerobic Digestion, Bioenergy and Biofuels, Biogas Plants, Elsevier, Biogass Production, Bioresource technology, Alkaline Pretreatment of Rice Straw, Nanoparticles for Enhancing Biogas Production, Magnetite Nanoparticles for Enhancing Biogas Production, and Magnetite Nanoparticles for Enhancing Biogas Production From Lignocellulsic Waste
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Phase change materials (PCMs) are investigated in this study as an option to reduce the surface temperature of the photovoltaic (PV) cell during sunshine hours to enhance the electrical efficiency of the cells. For this purpose, thermal... more
Phase change materials (PCMs) are investigated in this study as an option to reduce the surface temperature of the photovoltaic (PV) cell during sunshine hours to enhance the electrical efficiency of the cells. For this purpose, thermal energy balance model of the PV panel is integrated with PCM enthalpy model. The simulated results of the model have been validated with experimental results from the literature. The results indicate that PCM can be effectively used for limiting the temperature rise of the PV cell, thus increasing the efficiency of the PV cell up to 10%. Peak temperature of the PV cell can be reduced from 86 °C to 57 °C during the hottest summer month. It has observed that maximum benefits can be obtained when PCM melting point is selected in such a way that there is 10–12 °C difference between melting point of PCM and average minimum ambient temperature of the hottest summer month. PCM selected in such way will also require minimum mass. In current study, PCMs with m...
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The current research work aims to maintain high photovoltaic (PV) efficiency by keeping them at low operating temperature. For this purpose, commercially available phase change material (PCM) RT24 encapsulated in copper tubes was attached... more
The current research work aims to maintain high photovoltaic (PV) efficiency by keeping them at low operating temperature. For this purpose, commercially available phase change material (PCM) RT24 encapsulated in copper tubes was attached at the back side of a PV panel as a heat sink. The main concept of using the copper tube as PCM encapsulation is to produce a fin effect on the back of the PV panel to enhance the rate of heat transfer from the PV panel to ambient air. The experimental results showed that a maximum temperature reduction of 8.5 °C can be achieved at the front surface of the PV panel with 2.5 kg of PCM per square meter of the PV panel area. The PV back surface was also cooled down from 62 °C to 56 °C by the PCM. Enhancement in efficiency up to 3% was observed. The fin effect for the PV panel cooling was observed as the PV panel was maintained at a lower temperature, even after the PCM was completely utilized. The total cost incurred for the current PCM-based thermal regulation of the PV pa...
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Abstract Thermal and electrical management of the PV systems integrated with Phase Change Materials has been discussed in this article. The main aim of this review article is to provide the current status of PV-PCM technology along with... more
Abstract Thermal and electrical management of the PV systems integrated with Phase Change Materials has been discussed in this article. The main aim of this review article is to provide the current status of PV-PCM technology along with the research gaps and challenges being faced by this technology. A comprehensive literature review elaborating different aspects of this technology, such as system development, performance evaluation, PCM selection, heat transfer enhancement, simulation, and application in practice is presented. Cost incurred due to inclusion of PCM into PV system is also discussed in detail in this article. Major findings of the current review are that PV panel peak temperature can be reduced up to 20 °C with an increase in electrical conversion efficiency up to 5% by using PCM. At an average, ~ 2.6 kg of PCM is needed per meter square of the PV panel area to reduce the one-degree temperature of the PV panel during peak hours. The current review concludes that PV-PCM cooling system is not yet commercialized because of technological challenges, high system cost, and availability of appropriate PCMs. However, PV–PCM systems are still in the research phase, with great scope for practical applications. Suggestions for the future work along with current challenges are also presented.
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Abstract In this study, a parametric three dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis of solar chimney power plant was performed to illustrate the effects of collector's slope and chimney diverging angle on performance of... more
Abstract In this study, a parametric three dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis of solar chimney power plant was performed to illustrate the effects of collector's slope and chimney diverging angle on performance of Manzanares prototype. Numerical models were incorporated with solar load, DO (discrete ordinates) and RNG k-ɛ turbulence models. Firstly, CFD simulations results were validated by comparing them with the experimental data of Manzanares prototype and then, on the basis of robustness of numerical methods adopted, several numerical simulations were performed on varying collector's slope and chimney diverging angles to improve the performance of solar chimney. Numerical simulations were performed at chimney diverging angle = 1°–3° and at collector slope = 4°, 6°, 8° and 10° sequentially, while all other parameters were kept constant. Based on computed results, it was discovered that both velocity and temperature increases with increasing collector's slope due to enhanced heat transfer and mass flow rate, but simultaneously higher collector slopes also deteriorate the smooth air flow by developing vortices and recirculation of air, which obstructs the air flow and may reduce the overall performance. In addition, chimney diverging angle = 1° raises the velocity from 9.1 m/s to a remarkable value of 11.6 m/s; therefore, this diverging chimney approach is conceived to be a beneficial tool in improving performance of solar chimney power plant.
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Abstract This paper compares a novel macro-encapsulated phase change material (PCM) based solar photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) system and micro-channel heat pipes (MCHP) PV/T with a conventional PV/T. PV/Ts are vulnerable to the... more
Abstract This paper compares a novel macro-encapsulated phase change material (PCM) based solar photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) system and micro-channel heat pipes (MCHP) PV/T with a conventional PV/T. PV/Ts are vulnerable to the freezing-damages and get badly influenced by freezing weather. This problem occurs as a result of the poor performance and failure of the heat transfer system to prevent the circulating fluid from freezing. PCM and MCHP are essential heat and cold conditioning systems with a wide range of applications that can be used to optimize the performance of PV/T. Specifically, this article used PCM and MCHP to analyse the performance and optimisation options of the novel PV/T systems theoretically and numerically. Mathematical models were developed to predict the performance of the systems. The results revealed good agreements between the model simulation and experimental measurement with sufficient confidence. The results show that the combined daily average photothermal and electrical efficiency can reach 36.71%, 35.53% and 31.78% for the encapsulated PCM, MCHP and regular or conventional PV/T systems respectively. Our results showed that the macro-encapsulated PCM panels and MCHP prevented freezing of regular PV/T to some extent.
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Ground mounted solar PV systems utilize a large amount of land that could otherwise be used for different developmental activities, such as agricultural growth, fuel crops production, and industrial development. Utilizing the already... more
Ground mounted solar PV systems utilize a large amount of land that could otherwise be used for different developmental activities, such as agricultural growth, fuel crops production, and industrial development. Utilizing the already built infrastructures such as building rooftops, parking sheds, and canal water systems for installation of solar PV projects has proven beneficial as it minimizes the procurement and opportunity cost of the land. Taking into consideration the best practices adopted globally, Pakistan must evolve its policy for a shift towards utilization of existing infrastructures rather than using prime lands for solar PV power projects. Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) systems have been effective for deployment and penetration of solar PV technology (SPVT) in different countries. In this paper, we present a case study, established on the basis of existing BIPV principles followed in developed countries. This case study proposes to utilize existing storm water drains, parking lots, ...
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Ground mounted solar PV systems utilize a large amount of land that could otherwise be used for different developmental activities, such as agricultural growth, fuel crops production, and industrial development. Utilizing the already... more
Ground mounted solar PV systems utilize a large amount of land that could otherwise be used for different developmental activities, such as agricultural growth, fuel crops production, and industrial development. Utilizing the already built infrastructures such as building rooftops, parking sheds, and canal water systems for installation of solar PV projects has proven beneficial as it minimizes the procurement and opportunity cost of the land. Taking into consideration the best practices adopted globally, Pakistan must evolve its policy for a shift towards utilization of existing infrastructures rather than using prime lands for solar PV power projects. Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) systems have been effective for deployment and penetration of solar PV technology (SPVT) in different countries. In this paper, we present a case study, established on the basis of existing BIPV principles followed in developed countries. This case study proposes to utilize existing storm water...
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ABSTRACT In domestic sector of Pakistan large fraction of gas consumption is due to water heating in winter season. This intense use of Natural gas for space and water heating in domestic sector is the main reason behind severe natural... more
ABSTRACT In domestic sector of Pakistan large fraction of gas consumption is due to water heating in winter season. This intense use of Natural gas for space and water heating in domestic sector is the main reason behind severe natural gas shortfall during winter season. Due to increasing pressure on fossil fuels and environmental concerns shifting towards clean energy resources is need of the day for sustainable economic growth. Geological location and climatic conditions of Pakistan are beneficial for solar water heating applications to reduce the load on natural gas. In this study five climatically and geographically different cities are analyzed to find out how much Green House Gas reductions can be obtained by utilizing single unit of evacuated tube solar water heater of similar specifications in these cities. The results show maximum Green House Gas reductions (10 tons) are obtained in Quetta, Karachi and Peshawar while minimum (7 tons) Green House Gas reductions are obtained in Islamabad.
The demand and supply gap of global energy needs is increasing exponentially. This situation is further worsening as the conventional fossil fuel resources are decreasing. Solar thermal is one of the alternatives that can be used to... more
The demand and supply gap of global energy needs is increasing exponentially. This situation is further worsening as the conventional fossil fuel resources are decreasing. Solar thermal is one of the alternatives that can be used to fulfil the power requirements of the world without effecting the environment. Solar is one of the widely available renewable energy resources around the globe. One of the key challenges in harvesting this resource is that it is intermittent, thus its availability is limited. Several techniques are used to overcome this challenge, the method being used now is hybrid technology of conventional and solar; where solar is being used in peak hours. Another technique is to store the excess energy present during day and utilize it during night by using phase change material. This paper presents a comparative study between two phase change materials; nitrate salts and wax for energy storage of a 500 Watt Fresnel Mirror Solar Concentrator. A comparison between their thermal storage capacities, their charge and discharge time is made using CFD tool like COMSOL.
Abstract Pakistan is an agricultural country where 25% of total land area is utilized for cultivation of crops. But this sector is drastically affected by energy crisis currently worrying the whole world. In current article solar PV... more
Abstract Pakistan is an agricultural country where 25% of total land area is utilized for cultivation of crops. But this sector is drastically affected by energy crisis currently worrying the whole world. In current article solar PV technology utilization for sustainable growth of agriculture sector of Pakistan is presented. Water pumping is major energy consuming operation of agriculture field that may be shifted to solar energy based electricity. This work elaborates the economic feasibility of PV solar powered water pump systems, simulated in RETScreen international software developed by Canadian Energy Center for five major agricultural cities of Pakistan named; Multan, Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Rahim-Yar Khan and Dera Ghazi Khan. The weather condition and geographical information of sites are imported from NASA reported software database. Solar PV water pump system viability is estimated on the basis of economic determinants like NPV, IRR and payback periods. Simulation outcomes predict that installation of single 4.48 kW DC-solar PV water pump will result into 7-8 MWH electric power savings and 1.2-1.4tCO 2 greenhouse gases emission reduction produced due to combustion of fuel for generating base-case electric power. Commercial implementation of solar PV water pumping technology can be a milestone to figure out energy and economy related agricultural issues and reducing environmental concerns.
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A shift towards alternate and renewable energy sources is inevitable in Pakistan's current energy demand scenario. Electricity supply shortfall, exhausting extractable oil and gas resources, extensive reliance on imported crude oil... more
A shift towards alternate and renewable energy sources is inevitable in Pakistan's current energy demand scenario. Electricity supply shortfall, exhausting extractable oil and gas resources, extensive reliance on imported crude oil and climate change are major drivers for the shift towards renewable energy alternatives. Since high electricity generation cost of renewable energy technologies remain a major hurdle, it is countered through introducing RE support and policy measures such as Tax Rebates, Capital Subsidies, Feed in Tariff and Net Energy Metering policies etc. Pakistan introduced its Feed in Tariff support policy for integration of renewable energy into the national grid. National Electricity and Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), a regulatory body, set two different tariffs for solar PV FiT projects in northern and southern regions of the country based on varying solar irradiation. In the light of tariff set by the regulatory authority and simulations performed with Polysun 6.2, for an identical nameplate capacity solar PV projects in different cities, an economic comparison in terms of Payback Period and Net Present Value has been conducted to assess the most suitable location for solar PV installations in Pakistan, as per which Peshawar turned out to be the most financially lucrative location for implementation of solar FiT projects in Pakistan.
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The parabolic trough collector is capable of capturing heat from the incident solar radiations and transfers it to a working fluid that is circulated through the line focus of the collector. This heated fluid can hence deliver the energy... more
The parabolic trough collector is capable of capturing heat from the incident solar radiations and transfers it to a working fluid that is circulated through the line focus of the collector. This heated fluid can hence deliver the energy for various applications like steam generation, space and/or water heating, cooking, etc. In this paper, the modeling of parabolic trough collectors is done using MATLAB. The analysis and simulations are done using standard test conditions. Various physical parameters of the solar collector, like the length, the aperture size and area, the slope, the concentration ratio are studied, modeled and then compared corresponding to the climatic parameters like the incident radiation and the ambient temperature etc. The results give optimum physical features for a parabolic trough collector.
Natural gas has 43.2 % share in Pakistan’s energymix, while 18.7 % of the total natural gas is being consumed by the domestic sector. Statistical data shows that over the last ten years gas consumption by the domestic sector has increased... more
Natural gas has 43.2 % share in Pakistan’s energymix, while 18.7 % of the total natural gas is being consumed by the domestic sector. Statistical data shows that over the last ten years gas consumption by the domestic sector has increased from 144 to 232 billion cubic feet. Pakistan is facing extreme shortage of natural gas, especially in winters due to increased demand in domestic sector for space- and waterheating. Utilization of solar energy resource can effectively contribute towards shifting natural gas utilization from domestic to industrial sector of the country. This study helped analyze the quantity of natural gas saved and GHG reduction and economic benefits obtained due to shifting to solar water heating. Results of the study showed that by utilizing single unit of evacuated tube solar water heater in Quetta, 7.7 mmBtu of natural gas can be saved with net present value (NPV) of PKR 243,310 and 10 tones of GHG is saved from entering into the atmosphere.
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World is predicting energy crisis that needs to be catered by utilizing efficiently conventional (coal, oil etc.) as well as renewable (solar, hydro, wind etc.) energy sources. Among renewables solar and wind energy seem to be more... more
World is predicting energy crisis that needs to be catered by utilizing efficiently conventional (coal, oil etc.) as well as renewable (solar, hydro, wind etc.) energy sources. Among renewables solar and wind energy seem to be more promising due to corresponding well-developed technologies. Fortunately in Pakistan, daily solar radiations falling on horizontal surface ranges from 4.2kWh/m2/d to 5.54kWh/m2/d and considered ideal for solar thermal applications. As a whole, Pakistan has about 3.0*106MW solar power potential, hardly exploited in kilowatts that demands much effort and research for efficient consumption of this potential. Current article presents economic viability of different types of solar water heating (SWH) technologies for domestic users of Pakistan. Different types of SWH collectors like evacuated, glazed and unglazed are simulated using RETSCREEN software that imports recorded climate conditions from international database. Calculations indicate the percentage of s...
Pakistan is suffering from acute shortage of electricity and fuel that has adversely affected its industrial and agricultural progress in-spite of having ~2.9 million MW power potential can be harnessed from solar radiations. This paper... more
Pakistan is suffering from acute shortage of electricity and fuel that has adversely affected its industrial and agricultural progress in-spite of having ~2.9 million MW power potential can be harnessed from solar radiations. This paper aims on the study of technical and economic feasibility of stand-alone PV system in major cities of Pakistan. Current study is based on the results obtained by virtual modeling of a 5kW stand-alone PV System in RETScreen software developed by Canadian Energy Centre. The role of solar irradiance value, load correlation and ambient conditions are closely compared. A built in database in RETScreen uses climate information for simulation of PV system reported by National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Modeled system viability is examined on financial parameters like net present value, internal rate of return and payback period. The simulation results indicate that stand-alone PV system application can save millions being spent on conventional fuel...