Concentrating solar power (CSP) has received significant attention among researchers, power-producing companies and state policymakers for its bulk electricity generation capability, overcoming the intermittency of solar resources. The parabolic trough collector (PTC) and solar power tower (SPT) are the two dominant CSP systems that are either operational or in the construction stage. The USA and Spain are global leaders in CSP electricity generation, whereas developing countries such as China and India are emerging by aggressive investment. Each year, hundreds of articles have been published on CSP. However, there is a need to observe the overall research development of this field which is missing in the current body of literature. To bridge this gap, this study 1) provides a most up-to-date overview of the CSP technologies implemented across the globe, 2) reviews previously published review articles on this issue to highlight major findings and 3) analyzes future research trends in the CSP research. Text mining approach is utilized to analyze and visualize the scientific landscape of the research. Thermal energy storage, solar collector and policy-level analysis are found as core topics of discussion in the previous studies. With a holistic analysis, it is found that direct steam generation (DSG) is a promising innovation which is reviewed in this study. This paper provides a comprehensive outlook on the CSP technologies and its research which offers practical help to the future researchers who start to research on this topic.

A comprehensive review of state-of-the-art concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies: current status and research trends

The noticeable rise in the electricity demand, fast depletion of fossil fuels, along with environmental concerns throughout the world has led to the requirement of commissioning Solar PV plants in large scale. Solar photovoltaic (PV) installation has the burden of intense land requirements which will always be a premium commodity. To conserve the valuable land & water, installing Solar PV system on water bodies like oceans, lakes, lagoons, reservoir, irrigation ponds, waste water treatment plants, wineries, fish farms, dams and canals can be an attractive option. Floating type solar photovoltaic panels have numerous advantages compared to overland installed solar panels, including fewer obstacles to block sunlight, convenient, energy efficiency, higher power generation efficiency owing to its lower temperature underneath the panels. Additionally, the aquatic environment profits by the solar installation because the shading of the plant prevents excessive water evaporation, limits algae growth and potentially improving water quality. This paper gives more insight about the Floating PV technology, its present status & various design options.

Floating photovoltaic power plant: A review

Advanced solar energy utilization technology requires high-grade energy to achieve the most efficient application with compact size and least capital investment recovery period Concentrated solar power (CSP) technology has the capability to meet thermal energy and electrical demands Benefits of using CSP technology with parabolic trough collector (PTC) system include promising cost-effective investment, mature technology, and ease of combining with fossil fuels or other renewable energy sources This review first covered the theoretical framework of CSP technology with PTC system Next, the detailed derivation process of the maximum theoretical concentration ratio of the PTC was initially given Multiple types of heat transfer fluids in tube receivers were reviewed to present the capability of application Moreover, recent developments on heat transfer enhancement methods for CSP technology with PTC system were highlighted As the rupture of glass covers was frequently observed during application, methods of thermal deformation restrain for tube receivers were reviewed as well Commercial CSP plants worldwide with PTC system were presented, including those that are in operation, under construction, and announced Finally, possible further developments of CSP plants with PTC system were outlined Besides, suggestions for future research and application guidance were also illustrated

Progress in concentrated solar power technology with parabolic trough collector system: A comprehensive review

Concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) systems are a key step in expanding the use of solar energy. Solar cells can operate at increased efficiencies under higher solar concentration and replacing solar cells with optical devices to capture light is an effective method of decreasing the cost of a system without compromising the amount of solar energy absorbed. However, CPV systems are still in a stage of development where new designs, methods and materials are still being created in order to reach a low levelled cost of energy comparable to standard silicon based PV systems. This article outlines the different types of concentration photovoltaic systems, their various design advantages and limitations, and noticeable trends. This will include comparisons on materials used, optical efficiency and optical tolerance (acceptance angle). As well as reviewing the recent development in the most commonly used and most established designs such as the Fresnel lens and parabolic trough/dish, novel optics and materials are also suggested. The aim of this review is to provide the reader with an understanding of the many types of solar concentrators and their reported advantages and disadvantages. This review should aid the development of solar concentrator optics by highlighting the successful trends and emphasising the importance of novel designs and materials in need of further research. There is a vast opportunity for solar concentrator designs to expand into other scientific fields and take advantage of these developed resources. Solar concentrator technologies have many layers and factors to be considered when designing. This review attempts to simplify and categorise these layers and stresses the significance of comparing as many of the applicable factors as possible when choosing the right design for an application. From this review, it has been ascertained that higher concentration levels are being achieved and will likely continue to increase as high performance high concentration designs are developed. Fresnel lenses have been identified as having a greater optical tolerance than reflective parabolic concentrators but more complex homogenisers are being developed for both system types which improve multiple performance factors. Trends towards higher performance solar concentrator designs include the use of micro-patterned structures and attention to detailed design such as tailoring secondary optics to primary optics and vice-versa. There is still a vast potential for what materials and surface structures could be utilised for solar concentrator designs especially if inspiration is taken from biological structures already proven to manipulate light in nature.

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Optics for concentrating photovoltaics: Trends, limits and opportunities for materials and design

Climate change impacts, limited fossil fuel resources and escalating energy demand result in the use of clean and renewable energies such as solar thermal energy for sustainable agricultural production. In this study, the utilization of photovoltaic (PV) and photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T), which captures the remaining energy and removes waste heat from the PV module, is simulated by TRNSYS software as an alternative energy supplier in energy-environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) of greenhouse (GH) strawberry production in Alborz province, Iran. For this purpose, three scenarios, namely, present (Sc-1), PV (Sc-2) and PV/T (Sc-3) systems, are considered. Results show that the total input and output energy uses are examined to be 919250 and 142618.75 MJ ha−1, respectively, and diesel fuel with about 80% of the total energy usage is the most energy consuming input. Solar system simulation reveals 150 and 147 panels for PV and PV/T systems to supply energy, respectively. Environmental damages are investigated by IMPACT2002 + based on ten-ton of yield as the functional unit. LCA results indicate that diesel fuel and On-Farm emissions have most significant effects amongst damage categories in Sc-1. Moreover, applying solar technologies reduce total damage categories by about 16% and 6% in Sc-2 and Sc-3, respectively. The cumulative exergy demand (CExD) analysis indicates that diesel fuel is a significant portion of energy forms in Sc-1 and solar systems in Sc-2 and Sc-3 reduce the total CExD by about 50% and 33%, respectively compared to the Sc-1. Besides, Sc-2 with PV panels is the most energy-environmental-friendly scenario among them. It should be noted that Sc-3 has less efficiency compared to Sc-2 owing to additional equipment use and the temperate weather during the study. Finally, it can be concluded that trends of energy and environmental damage categories can be modified significantly by applying solar technologies.

Energy-Life cycle assessment on applying solar technologies for greenhouse strawberry production

Modern solar energy harnessing technology demands high grade energy to achieve efficient power generation with compact plant size and least payback period. But readily available solar energy is low grade energy. Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technology is capable to cater the demand. Reflector or mirror in CSP contributes 50% of total cost of installation, hence huge initial investment and high life cycle costs are the major challenges associated with such plants. Moreover due to adverse service conditions and environmental impacts, it gets degraded early, causing substantial drop in efficiency and consequently reduction in life cycle. Fresnel lens as solar concentrator in Photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) applications may prove to be a promising alternative due to its potential to overcome techno-commercial constraints associated with conventional reflector based CSP. A critical review covering global CSP deployment, operational requirement and failure mechanism in mirrors/reflectors is being presented. As an alternative, design considerations of Fresnel lens and its effect on various efficiencies, reflectance, transmittance and associated losses are discussed. Learning from early research work, innovative and emerging trends, economics, challenges and advantages are also presented.

Fresnel lens: A promising alternative of reflectors in concentrated solar power

Product design and optimization is a process of interpolation through iteration. Rating and certification process involves thorough testing of the product in standard test conditions. But real world experiments are full of variations and uncertainties. Moreover it is not feasible to create extreme testing environments in laboratory experiments. In many cases physical experiments are not possible at all due to excessive run duration, trade off and socio-financial implications. In such cases simulation is a promising alternate for performance analysis and design optimization. Professionals and researchers also face similar problems while working on solar energy system. There is a fast growing market of solar water heater worldwide. Solar water heating system is transient in nature and its performance depends on dynamic parameters. TRNSYS is transient system simulation software which provides good agreement within error ranging from 5% to 10%. Critical review of simulation of solar water heating system including early works, comparative analysis of popular simulation tools and their architecture in perspective of TRNSYS is presented. Assumptions, modeling of different components, merits and limitations of simulation are also discussed.

Modeling and simulation of solar water heater: A TRNSYS perspective

Solar Energy: Review of Potential Green & Clean Energy for Coastal and Offshore Applications

The fraction of solar radiation having energy below threshold value of conversion into electricity through PV module is converted into heat. This untapped energy is responsible for increasing the operating temperature of PV module. Since the operating temperature plays a key role in the electrical efficiency of PV module, both electrical efficiency and power output of PV module depend linearly on operating temperature. Solar cell performance deteriorates with increasing temperature. To obtain a highly efficient Photovoltaic module with high reliability and lifetime, the temperature of module must be within the range prescribed by Standard Test Condition STC. This paper focuses on review of various cooling techniques suggested by researchers and their results.

Vinod Kumar

Papers

Fresnel lens: A promising alternative of reflectors in concentrated solar power

Modeling and simulation of solar water heater: A TRNSYS perspective

Solar Energy: Review of Potential Green & Clean Energy for Coastal and Offshore Applications

Efficiency improvement of PV module by way of effective cooling - a review