• Energy Research

The water requirement greatly increased due to population growth, increased agricultural areas and industrial development, thus causing high water demand. The complex problems facing by country is water pricing is not designed optimally as a staple of human needs and on the other hand also cannot guarantee the maintenance and distribution of water effectively. The cheap water pricing caused increase of water use and unmanageable water resource. Therefore, the more optimal water pricing as an effective control of water policy is needed for the sake of ensuring water resources conservation and sustainability. This paper presents the review on problems, issues and mathematical modelling of water pricing based on agriculture and domestic groundwater for water sustainability and conservation.

AbstractThe photovoltaic system is quickly emerging as a highly favored option among renewable energy sources. However, it faces several significant challenges, including variable solar irradiance, temperature, and partial shading. Unfortunately, conventional Maximum Power Point Trackers (MPPTs) cannot accurately track partial shading. Artificial intelligence and optimization techniques have been proposed as alternatives, but they require extensive training and can take a long time to achieve maximum power point (MPP) under partial shading circumstances. In this paper, a dynamic and fast-moving method of MPP tracking is proposed for use under both uniform solar irradiance and partial shade. This method combines an enhanced incremental conductance (INC) algorithm with a global search algorithm that looks at how well solar cells work when partly shaded. Simulation investigations are performed to validate the method's applicability and ensure that it reaches the most accurate value of MPP with a short-tracking time of less than 0.2 s and a steady-state error of less than 0.3% of the PV power. The results confirm the efficacy of the suggested tracking method under uniform solar irradiance and partial shade.

Malaysia promotes coal as an option for solid fuel in electric power generation. Demanding of electricity needs, therefore, has led to increase the coal consumption and thus producing more coal waste products. The disposal of coal waste ashes has been a main concern to power generation station due to the need of disposal sites and operational costs. This study investigates the composition of fly ash (FA) and bottom ash (BA) mixtures with difference component percentage treated with sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) at 1.5 and 2.5 wt% solutions and examined in terms of specific gravity, pH, maximum dry density properties, and its surface morphology. Although the chemical composition of the SLS and PVA treated fly and bottom ashes studied in this current work is not altered extensively, significant changes could be observed in its physicochemical properties. Chemically treated fly and bottom ashes mixtures with SLS and PVA at 1.5 wt% solution exhibited specific gravity of 1.97 to 2.92 and high pH values within range of 9.28 to 10.52. The mixture of BA:FA=0:1 ratio depicting high maximum dry density of 1.35 to 1.56 g/cm3 in both SLS and PVA solutions at 1.5 and 2.5 wt%. Scanning electron microscopy image shows distinct surface morphologies of SLS-treated fly and bottom ashes mixture that the particles are packed closely, strongly bonded similar to popcorn shape due to the effect of active silanol groups acted on coal ashes surface with the presence of Al-O/Si-O/other oxides. These findings suggest that higher level of chemical interaction between the fly and bottom ashes particles, significantly enhances pozzolanic reactions such as shear strength, plasticity, cementing properties, and thus other engineering properties.