• Energy Research
• 2025-2025close
• other engineering and technologies close
• 7. Clean energy close

Background: Machine Learning (ML) techniques have successfully replaced traditional control algorithms in recent years due to their ability to carry out complicated tasks with significant efficiency and accuracy. Objective: The main objective of the current work is to investigate and compare the performances of different ML models in modeling Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) control for a wind turbine system. The main advantage of the designed MPPT based on ML is that it does not require any detailed mathematical model or prior knowledge of the system, such as turbine parameters or aerodynamic properties, unlike traditional MPPT techniques. Methods: The ML models included in this study were Support Vector Machines, Regression Trees, and Ensemble Trees. Their design was performed through a training process, and their performances were evaluated based on various metrics. During the training phase, the ML models were selected to understand the basic concept of the control strategy and extract essential hidden connections between the inputs and the output of the system. Results: The effectiveness of the control method was investigated using MATLAB/Simulink. The findings of this study revealed that ML models were effective in modeling the MPPT for the studied wind power system, which provides an interesting and sophisticated alternative to classical control methods for wind systems. Conclusion: The ML models designed allow for optimal operation of the system with a simple structure that is independent of system parameters and wind speed measurement and is adaptable for any kind of system.

Background: In recent years, the integration of renewable energy sources into the grid has increased exponentially. However, one significant challenge in integrating these renewable sources into the grid is intermittency. Objective: To address this challenge, accurate PV power forecasting techniques are crucial for operations and maintenance and day-to-day operations monitoring in solar plants. Methods: In the present work, a hybrid approach that combines Deep Learning (DL) and Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) with electrical models for PV power forecasting is proposed Results: The outcomes of the study involve evaluating the performance of the proposed model in comparison to a Physical model and a DL model for predicting solar PV power one day ahead and two days ahead. The results indicate that the prediction accuracy of PV power decreases and the error rates increase when forecasting two days ahead, as compared to one day ahead. Conclusion: The obtained results demonstrate that DL models combined with NWP and electrical models can improve PV Power forecasting compared to a Physical model and a DL model.

Combustion occurring in porous media has various practical applications, such as in in-situ combustion processes in oil reservoirs, the combustion of biogas in sanitary landfills, and many others. A porous medium where combustion takes place can consist of layers with different physical properties. This study demonstrates that the initial value problem for a combustion model in a multi-layer porous medium has a unique solution, which is continuous with respect to the initial data and parameters in $\mathtt{L}^2(\mathbb{R})^n$. In summary, it establishes that the initial value problem is well-posed in $\mathtt{L}^2(\mathbb{R})^n$. The model is governed by a one-dimensional reaction-diffusion-convection system, where the unknowns are the temperatures in the layers. Previous studies have addressed the same problem in $\mathtt{H}^2(\mathbb{R})^n$. However, in this study, we solve the problem in a less restrictive space, namely $\mathtt{L}^2(\mathbb{R})^n$. The proof employs a novel approach to combustion problems in porous media, utilizing an evolution operator defined from the theory of semigroups in Hilbert space and Kato's theory for a well-posed associated initial value problem.

Machine learning's application in solar-thermal desalination is limited by data shortage and inconsistent analysis. This study develops an optimized dataset collection and analysis process for the representative solar still. By ultra-hydrophilic treatment on the condensation cover, the dataset collection process reduces the collection time by 83.3%. Over 1,000 datasets are collected, which is nearly one order of magnitude larger than up-to-date works. Then, a new interdisciplinary process flow is proposed. Some meaningful results are obtained that were not addressed by previous studies. It is found that Radom Forest might be a better choice for datasets larger than 1,000 due to both high accuracy and fast speed. Besides, the dataset range affects the quantified importance (weighted value) of factors significantly, with up to a 115% increment. Moreover, the results show that machine learning has a high accuracy on the extrapolation prediction of productivity, where the minimum mean relative prediction error is just around 4%. The results of this work not only show the necessity of the dataset characteristics' effect but also provide a standard process for studying solar-thermal desalination by machine learning, which would pave the way for interdisciplinary study.

With California's ambitious goal to achieve decarbonization of the electrical grid by the year 2045, significant challenges arise in power system investment planning. Existing modeling methods and software focus on computational efficiency, which is currently achieved by simplifying the associated unit commitment formulation. This may lead to unjustifiable inaccuracies in the cost and constraints of gas-fired generation operations, and may affect both the timing and the extent of investment in new resources, such as renewable energy and energy storage. To address this issue, this paper develops a more detailed and rigorous mixed-integer model, and more importantly, a solution methodology utilizing surrogate level-based Lagrangian relaxation to overcome the combinatorial complexity that results from the enhanced level of model detail. This allows us to optimize a model with approximately 12 million binary and 100 million total variables in under 48 hours. The investment plan is compared with those produced by E3's RESOLVE software, which is currently employed by the California Energy Commission and California Public Utilities Commission. Our model produces an investment plan that differs substantially from that of the existing method and saves California over 12 billion dollars over the investment horizon.

A nuclear reactor based on MIT BEAVRS benchmark was used as a typical power generating Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR). The PARCS v3.2 nodal-diffusion core simulator was used as a full-core reactor physics solver to emulate the operation of a reactor and to generate training, and validation data for the ANN. The ANN was implemented with dedicated Python 3.8 code with Google's TensorFlow 2.0 library. The effort was based to a large extent on the process of appropriate automatic transformation of data generated by PARCS simulator, which was later used in the process of the ANN development. Various methods that allow obtaining better accuracy of the ANN predicted results were studied, such as trying different ANN architectures to find the optimal number of neurons in the hidden layers of the network. Results were later compared with the architectures proposed in the literature. For the selected best architecture predictions were made for different core parameters and their dependence on core loading patterns. In this study, a special focus was put on the prediction of the fuel cycle length for a given core loading pattern, as it can be considered one of the targets for plant economic operation. For instance, the length of a single fuel cycle depending on the initial core loading pattern was predicted with very good accuracy (>99%). This work contributes to the exploration of the usefulness of neural networks in solving nuclear reactor design problems. Thanks to the application of ANN, designers can avoid using an excessive amount of core simulator runs and more rapidly explore the space of possible solutions before performing more detailed design considerations.

In the last decade, the manufacturing capacity of silicon, the dominant PV technology, has increasingly been concentrated in China. This has led to PV cost reduction of approximately 80%, while, at the same time, posing risks to PV supply chain security. Recent advancements of novel perovskite tandem PV technologies as an alternative to traditional silicon-based PV provide opportunities for diversification of the PV manufacturing capacity and for increasing the GHG emission benefit of solar PV. Against this background, we estimate the current and future cost-competitiveness and GHG emissions of a set of already commercialized as well as emerging PV technologies for different production locations (China, USA, EU), both at residential and utility-scale. We find EU and USA-manufactured thin-film tandems to have 2 to 4% and 0.5 to 2% higher costs per kWh and 37 to 40%and 32 to 35% less GHG emissions per kWh at residential and utility-scale, respectively. Our projections indicate that they will also retain competitive costs (up to 2% higher)and a 20% GHG emissions advantage per kWh in 2050.

: Power generation in today’s world is of utmost importance, due to which blockchain is used for the categorization and formation of decentralized structures. This paper has proposed decentralized energy generation using a nester, i.e., energy sharing without third-party intervention. Decentralized blockchain technology is applied to ensure power sharing between buyer and seller, and also to achieve efficient power transmission between prosumer and consumer. Energy management is associated with controlling and reducing energy consumption. Blockchain technology plays a major role in distributed power generation, for example, power-sharing (solar and wind energy), price fixation, energy transaction monitoring, and peer-to-peer power-sharing. These are operations performed by blockchain in renewable power generation. Solar power generation using blockchain technology can obtain an impact resting upon the power generation system. Distributed ledger is the key area of blockchain technology for recording and tracking each transaction in the distribution system to improve the efficiency of the overall transmission system. A smart contract is another important tool in the blockchain technology, which is issued to confirm an assent between buyer and seller before starting any energy transaction without external intervention and also to avoid time delay. Maximum power point tracking is conducted in PV cells using blockchain technology. Blockchain influences energy management systems to improve the utilization of energy, optimize energy usage, and also to reduce the cost.