• Energy Research

The particle deposition on the surface of solar photovoltaic panels deteriorates its performance as it obstructs the solar radiation reaching the solar cells. In addition to that, it may cause overheating of the panels, which further decreases the performance of the system. The dust deposition on the surfaces is a complex phenomenon which depends on a large number of different environmental and technical factors, such as location, weather parameters, pollution, tilt angle and surface roughness. Hence, it becomes crucial to investigate the key parameters which influence dust accumulation and their interrelations. In this study, the phenomenon of dust deposition was studied experimentally in the urban area at one of the most polluted cities of Europe, i.e. Kraków, Poland. Solar photovoltaic panels tilted at angles 15° and 35° were exposed to atmospheric conditions for the period of eighteen months from 6 May 2017 until 30 November 2018. Dust samples were collected from the panels for the exposure period which ranged from one day up to 11 days. It was observed that lower tilt angles promote dust accumulation on the surface and that in the absence of wind and rain, deposition of particles on the surface of panels follows the pattern of concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 in the atmosphere. Wind and rainfall usually promote the removal of dust particles from the surface. However, rainfall not always aids the cleaning of panels, and it was observed that low-intensity rain results in a very low rate of PMs in the air and in much higher than typical dust deposition on the panel surface. It also accelerates the cementing of already deposited dust. It was only rainfall whose intensity was at least 38 mm/h that was sufficient to remove dust particles from the panels.

The particle deposition on the surface of solar photovoltaic panels deteriorates its performance as it obstructs the solar radiation reaching the solar cells. In addition to that, it may cause overheating of the panels, which further decreases the performance of the system. The dust deposition on the surfaces is a complex phenomenon which depends on a large number of different environmental and technical factors, such as location, weather parameters, pollution, tilt angle and surface roughness. Hence, it becomes crucial to investigate the key parameters which influence dust accumulation and their interrelations. In this study, the phenomenon of dust deposition was studied experimentally in the urban area at one of the most polluted cities of Europe, i.e. Kraków, Poland. Solar photovoltaic panels tilted at angles 15° and 35° were exposed to atmospheric conditions for the period of eighteen months from 6 May 2017 until 30 November 2018. Dust samples were collected from the panels for the exposure period which ranged from one day up to 11 days. It was observed that lower tilt angles promote dust accumulation on the surface and that in the absence of wind and rain, deposition of particles on the surface of panels follows the pattern of concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 in the atmosphere. Wind and rainfall usually promote the removal of dust particles from the surface. However, rainfall not always aids the cleaning of panels, and it was observed that low-intensity rain results in a very low rate of PMs in the air and in much higher than typical dust deposition on the panel surface. It also accelerates the cementing of already deposited dust. It was only rainfall whose intensity was at least 38 mm/h that was sufficient to remove dust particles from the panels.

Abstract In this work, the aging effects on modelling and operation of a photovoltaic system with hydrogen storage in terms of energy production decrease and demand for additional hydrogen during 10 years of the system operation was analysed for the entire energy system for the first time. The analyses were performed with the support of experimental data for the renewable energy system composed of photovoltaic modules, fuel cell, electrolysers, hydrogen storage and hydrogen backup. It has been found that the total degradation of the analysed system can be described by the proposed parameter – unit additional hydrogen consumption ratio. The results reveal a 33.2–36.2% increase of the unit fuel requirement from an external source after 10 years in reference to the initial condition. Degradation of the components can, on the other hand, be well described with the unit hydrogen consumption ratio by fuel cell for electricity or the unit electricity consumption ratio by electrolyser for hydrogen production, which has been found to vary for the electrolyser in the range of 4.6–4.9% and for the fuel cell stack in the range of 13.4–15.1% during the 10 years of the system operation. The analyses indicate that this value depends on the load profile and PV module types and the system performance decline is non-linear.

Abstract In this work, the aging effects on modelling and operation of a photovoltaic system with hydrogen storage in terms of energy production decrease and demand for additional hydrogen during 10 years of the system operation was analysed for the entire energy system for the first time. The analyses were performed with the support of experimental data for the renewable energy system composed of photovoltaic modules, fuel cell, electrolysers, hydrogen storage and hydrogen backup. It has been found that the total degradation of the analysed system can be described by the proposed parameter – unit additional hydrogen consumption ratio. The results reveal a 33.2–36.2% increase of the unit fuel requirement from an external source after 10 years in reference to the initial condition. Degradation of the components can, on the other hand, be well described with the unit hydrogen consumption ratio by fuel cell for electricity or the unit electricity consumption ratio by electrolyser for hydrogen production, which has been found to vary for the electrolyser in the range of 4.6–4.9% and for the fuel cell stack in the range of 13.4–15.1% during the 10 years of the system operation. The analyses indicate that this value depends on the load profile and PV module types and the system performance decline is non-linear.

This research study evaluates the use of a supercapacitor module as a fast-response energy storage unit to improve energy self-consumption and self-sufficiency for renewable energy systems applications. The designed system consists of the photovoltaic component with 3.0 kWp capacity combined with (0–5) supercapacitor module with a capacity of 500F-2.7V per module to serve the desired load. The analysis was carried out using experimental data for the electrical load and solar irradiance, as well as ambient temperature at a 1-minute temporal resolution for the year 2020. The measured daily average power of the electrical load was 0.299 kW, with a daily energy consumption of 7.2 kWh/day at a maximum peak of 5.36 kW, while the yearly energy consumption was recorded 2620 kWh/year. The measured daily average solar irradiance was 3.1 kWh/m2/day, and the monthly average ambient temperature was 10.7 °C.The charge of the supercapacitor was only possible from the photovoltaic system and not from grid. The simulation results demonstrated that the use of the supercapacitor module could feed the rapid peaks of electrical load and significantly increase energy self-consumption and self-sufficiency. Using only five supercapacitor modules increases the annual self-consumption from 21.75% to 28.74% and the percentage of self-sufficiency increases from 28.09% to 40.77%. The study concluded that adding small and responsive energy storage is an excellent choice of batteries.

This research study evaluates the use of a supercapacitor module as a fast-response energy storage unit to improve energy self-consumption and self-sufficiency for renewable energy systems applications. The designed system consists of the photovoltaic component with 3.0 kWp capacity combined with (0–5) supercapacitor module with a capacity of 500F-2.7V per module to serve the desired load. The analysis was carried out using experimental data for the electrical load and solar irradiance, as well as ambient temperature at a 1-minute temporal resolution for the year 2020. The measured daily average power of the electrical load was 0.299 kW, with a daily energy consumption of 7.2 kWh/day at a maximum peak of 5.36 kW, while the yearly energy consumption was recorded 2620 kWh/year. The measured daily average solar irradiance was 3.1 kWh/m2/day, and the monthly average ambient temperature was 10.7 °C.The charge of the supercapacitor was only possible from the photovoltaic system and not from grid. The simulation results demonstrated that the use of the supercapacitor module could feed the rapid peaks of electrical load and significantly increase energy self-consumption and self-sufficiency. Using only five supercapacitor modules increases the annual self-consumption from 21.75% to 28.74% and the percentage of self-sufficiency increases from 28.09% to 40.77%. The study concluded that adding small and responsive energy storage is an excellent choice of batteries.

This research study uses a computer simulation based on real input data to examine the impact of a supercapacitor module working as a fast response energy storage unit in renewable energy systems to increase energy self-consumption and self-sufficiency. The evaluated system includes a photovoltaic system with a capacity of 3.0 kWp and between 0 and 5 supercapacitor units with a capacity of 500 F per module. The study was carried out using experimental data for electrical load, solar irradiance, and ambient temperature for the year 2020, with a 1 min temporal resolution. The daily average ambient temperature was 10.7 °C, and the daily average solar irradiance was 3.1 kWh/m2/day. It is assumed that the supercapacitor could only be charged from a photovoltaic system using renewable energy and not from the grid. The simulation results showed that using the supercapacitors to feed the short and large peaks of the electrical load significantly increases energy self-consumption and self-sufficiency. With only five supercapacitor modules, yearly energy self-sufficiency increases from 28.09% to 40.77%.

This research study uses a computer simulation based on real input data to examine the impact of a supercapacitor module working as a fast response energy storage unit in renewable energy systems to increase energy self-consumption and self-sufficiency. The evaluated system includes a photovoltaic system with a capacity of 3.0 kWp and between 0 and 5 supercapacitor units with a capacity of 500 F per module. The study was carried out using experimental data for electrical load, solar irradiance, and ambient temperature for the year 2020, with a 1 min temporal resolution. The daily average ambient temperature was 10.7 °C, and the daily average solar irradiance was 3.1 kWh/m2/day. It is assumed that the supercapacitor could only be charged from a photovoltaic system using renewable energy and not from the grid. The simulation results showed that using the supercapacitors to feed the short and large peaks of the electrical load significantly increases energy self-consumption and self-sufficiency. With only five supercapacitor modules, yearly energy self-sufficiency increases from 28.09% to 40.77%.