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Low-tech versus high-technological solutions for a pandemic-adaptable society
Published in Sarah Sayce, Sara Wilkinson, Gillian Armstrong, Samantha Organ, Resilient Building Retrofits, 2023
Sara Wilkinson, Samantha Organ
Batteries add to the initial cost of a renewable technology system, but also potentially to the lifetime costs and embodied carbon/energy of the system, given that the current lifespan of such batteries are between 5 and 15 years. In contrast, the estimated lifespan of solar (photovoltaic) panels is currently around 30 years, necessitating the replacement of the batteries during the lifetime of the panels. However, a further consideration is the environmental impact of producing and disposing of batteries, which require the mining of minerals and metals. This results in environmental harm. Batteries need carefully disposing of and whilst recycling is an alternative, this can currently degrade their power.
Hardware for automation
Published in Benny Raphael, Construction and Building Automation, 2023
Even though the power supplied by the electrical grid is AC, most electrical devices internally use only DC. Devices such as computers and office equipment have power supply modules inside them that convert AC to DC. A certain percentage of power is lost during this conversion. Today, many buildings have photovoltaic cells installed on their roofs and generate their own power from the sun. The solar cells produce DC power. Since solar power is not available all the time, power supply in buildings use the electricity grid as a backup. Therefore, the DC power from solar cells is converted into AC and fed into the electric circuits of the building. The conversion from DC to AC involves losses. This is compounded by the losses in converting AC back to DC for use inside electronic equipment. To avoid these conversion losses, some modern buildings use only DC power. All the electrical equipment is designed to work with a DC power supply. Such techniques are helpful in improving energy efficiency and implementing net zero energy buildings.
From biomass to biogas
Published in Walter Amedzro St-Hilaire, Agribusiness Economics, 2022
A photovoltaic panel is based on a module made up of photovoltaic cells that convert solar energy into direct electrical current. Photovoltaic cells are electronic components composed of semiconductor materials such as silicon which, when it receives photons from sunlight, transmits its energy to the electrons in the semiconductors which then generate an electrical voltage. Finally, in order to be transformed into alternating current it is necessary to use an inverter, which transforms direct current into alternating current, in order to be able to supply the public electricity distribution network or to be self-consumed. All in all, it should be remembered that photovoltaic cells use the photoelectric effect to generate energy directly from sunlight. Their efficiency depends very largely on the semiconductor used, and it is generally between 10% and 20%.
A feasibility study for PV installations in higher education institutions – a case study
Published in International Journal of Green Energy, 2023
Sai Pujitha Karanam, Byungik Chang
The reducing prices of solar has made easy access to renewable energy to more people than ever before. While considering the benefits and savings of Solar PV during its lifetime, the end-of-life management is also important to ensure solution to clean energy and sustainable option for future generations. According to recent studies of solar PV recycling, (Chowdhury et al. 2020; Curtis et al. 2021; Fthenakis 2000; Markert, Celik, and Apul 2020), the total economic value of the recycled materials from solar PV can be estimated by quantifying the private and external costs and benefits of recycling solar PV panes (see Equations (8)–(11)). The lifespan of a solar photovoltaic panel is considered to be 25 years.
Performance analysis of PV/Trombe with water and air heating system: an experimental and theoretical study
Published in Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 2022
Omer K. Ahmed, Khalaf I. Hamada, Abdulrazzaq M. Salih
In the past decades, modern technologies that use solar cells to generate electricity have been introduced. A photovoltaic (PV) cell can be integrated with buildings in diverse ways (rooftops, façades, PV-Trombe wall (PV-TW), etc.) and a PV cell not only helps in the production of electricity but also heating, daylighting, reduce cooling/heating loads, and adds to the aesthetic of the building(Ahmed and Hussein 2018)(Jie et al. 2007b)(Ahmed and Mohammed 2017). In the PV/Trombe wall as in Figure 2, solar cell is fixed on the south side of the houses, which acts as a thermal absorber. Two air slots for winter heating and two other slots for the summer season. For heating, the winter slots are opened, whereas the summer air vents are closed. The air from the room enters from the lower winter slots due to the buoyancy effect. The air in the duct extract the heat away from the solar panel, then vents into the room; in the summer season, the behavior is vice versa.
Characterization of reduced graphene oxide/macrocyclic Fe(II) complex nanocomposite as the counter electrode in Pt-free dye-sensitized solar cells
Published in Journal of Coordination Chemistry, 2021
Kirandeep Kaur, Meenakshi Patyal, Nidhi Gupta
Fossil fuels are depleting which leads to an energy crisis and contributes to global warming. These problems require clean and renewable energy sources [1]. Energy obtained from the sun can be used directly to generate electricity, heat and light homes. Converting solar energy to electric energy is important to replace fossil fuels. The main benefit for using solar energy is that it is a renewable source of energy i.e. inexhaustible in nature, is not affected by any geographical location, and causes no environmental pollution. Various photovoltaic cells are used to convert sunlight into electric energy. Different photovoltaic cells such as cells made of silicon (Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe), copper indium selenide/sulfide (CIS), perovskite and dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) are used to convert solar energy to electric energy. Current research depends on improvement of device performance and reducing its manufacturing cost [1–13]. Grätzel et al. developed a new type of solar cell, the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC), with advantage of high efficiency, less cost, and simple fabrication, as compared to traditional photovoltaic cells, which make them a strong source of solar energy conversion.