J. Renewable Sustainable Energy - Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy

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Editorial: Desertec project—when science joins politics

Abdelilah Slaoui

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 010401 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3687000 (2 pages)

Online Publication Date: 16 February 2012

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89.20.Kk	Engineering
88.40.-j	Solar energy
88.05.-b	Energy analysis
84.70.+p	High-current and high-voltage technology: power systems; power transmission lines and cables

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Preface to Special Topic: Selected Papers from the Photovoltaic Technical Conference, Aix en Provence, France, 2011

Veronica Bermudez

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 011501 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3687647 (2 pages)

Online Publication Date: 17 February 2012

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88.00.00	Renewable energy resources and applications
84.60.Jt	Photoelectric conversion
85.60.-q	Optoelectronic devices

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Thermal model for an early prototype of concentrating photovoltaic for active solar panel initiative system

Sendhil Kumar Natarajan, Matty Katz, and Tapas Kumar Mallick

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 011601 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3683513 (7 pages)

Online Publication Date: 8 February 2012

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In this paper, three dimensional thermal model is presented for an early prototype of novel concentrating PV design for active solar panel initiative system using ANSYS, CFX package. The system consists of series of Fresnel lens for 36 × 6 series-parallel configuration solar cells, bottom encapsulation layer, and back plate. Fresnel lens is placed at the top of the system. Each Fresnel lens has a thickness of 3 mm and dimension of 10 × 60 mm dimensions. In order to protect the lens from the ambient conditions, protective glass plate is used just above the lens. Each solar cell is 0.25 mm thickness and dimension of 2 × 60 mm, located at the base of the system. The system concentration ratio is 5×. The solar cells are placed along the focal line of the Fresnel lens. Thermally conductive adhesive thickness of 1 mm is placed at the bottom and side of the solar cells. In the present model, only three Fresnel lens and solar cells arrangement have considered. To reduce the solar cell temperature, the five numbers of fins are used at the base of the 5 mm back plate. Solar radiation of 1000 W/m² is considered and absorption coefficient of 15% of the lens, glass plate, and optical frame is also considered in the present model. Based on the present model, the temperatures of the different components are predicted for focal lengths of 41 mm, 33 mm, 25 mm, and 5 mm. It is observed that the variations of the focal length abruptly change the fluid motion between the lens and the solar cells, as a result, the operating solar cell temperature first increases and then decreases.

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88.40.H-	Solar cells (photovoltaics)
42.79.Bh	Lenses, prisms and mirrors

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Effect of indium doping on physical properties of nanocrystallized SnS zinc blend thin films grown by chemical bath deposition

Meriem Reghima, Anis Akkari, Cathy Guasch, and Najoua Kamoun-Turki

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 011602 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3676073 (12 pages)

Online Publication Date: 8 February 2012

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SnS:In thin films have been successfully prepared on Pyrex substrates using low cost chemical bath deposition technique with different indium concentrations (y = math

= 4%,6%,8%,and10%). The structure, the surface morphology, and the optical properties of the SnS:In films were studied by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscopy, and spectrophotometer measurements. In order to obtain a thickness of the order of 308 ± 10 nm for potential applications in solar cell devices, a multilayer deposition has been prepared. It is found that the physical properties of tin sulphide are affected by indium concentration. In fact, x-ray diffraction study showed that better crystallinity in zinc blend structure with preferential orientations (111)^ZB and (200)^ZB was obtained for y equal to 6%. According to the AFM analysis, we remark that low average surface roughness value of SnS(ZB) thin film is obtained with In concentrations equal to y = 6%. Energy dispersive spectroscopy showed the existence of In, Sn, and S in the films. Optical analyses by means of transmission T(λ) and reflection R(λ) measurements show 1.57 eV as an optical band gap value of SnS:In(6%), which is lower than the previously obtained value (1.76 eV) for undoped tin sulphide. In doped tin sulphide exhibits a high absorption coefficient 2.5 × 10⁶ cm⁻¹, indicating that SnS:In can be used as absorber thin layer in photovoltaic structure such as SnS:In/ZnS/SnO₂:F and SnS:In/In₂S₃/SnO₂:F, where ZnS and In₂S₃ are chemically deposited as described in a previous work. In this study, the hetero-junctions SnS/In₂S₃:Al and SnS/ZnS:In are also investigated.

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81.07.Bc	Nanocrystalline materials
81.15.Lm	Liquid phase epitaxy; deposition from liquid phases (melts, solutions, and surface layers on liquids)
61.72.up	Other materials
68.55.aj	Insulators
78.20.Ci	Optical constants (including refractive index, complex dielectric constant, absorption, reflection and transmission coefficients, emissivity)
78.67.Bf	Nanocrystals, nanoparticles, and nanoclusters

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Insulation and diffusion barrier characteristics of spin-on-glass layer on a stainless steel substrate

Ming-Jer Jeng, Wei-Jer Lai, Bai-Zong Chang, and Sung-Cheng Hu

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 011603 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3656330 (5 pages)

Online Publication Date: 8 February 2012

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The efficiency of CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide) solar cells fabricated on stainless steel foil is lower than that on soda-lime glass substrates due to the lack of sodium incorporation and metal impurity diffusion. A dielectric barrier is necessary to prevent metal impurity diffusion for stainless steel substrates. Spin-on-glass (SOG) coatings are characterized by their lower cost and larger area than other vacuum deposition methods. By using spin coating SOG to deposit SiO_x barrier layers, this study investigates the characteristics of their insulation and impurity barrier. For insulation property, a higher curing temperature is preferred. The insulation does not further improve when the curing temperature exceeds 400 °C. The SiO_x film resistance can be as high as 10⁸ Ω when the voltage is smaller than 10 V. For impurity barrier characteristics, although thick thickness is preferred, it easily incurs thermal cracking. To effectively barricade metal impurity diffusion, the influence of SiO_x thickness is larger than that of curing SOG temperature.

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66.30.Ny	Chemical interdiffusion; diffusion barriers
68.55.Ln	Defects and impurities: doping, implantation, distribution, concentration, etc.
68.60.Bs	Mechanical and acoustical properties
81.40.Np	Fatigue, corrosion fatigue, embrittlement, cracking, fracture, and failure
62.20.mt	Cracks
68.55.aj	Insulators

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The study of loss kinetics of current carriers in copper-indium-gallium selenide by microwave photoconductivity method

G. F. Novikov, E. V. Rabenok, M. J. Jeng, and L. B. Chang

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 011604 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3670408 (8 pages)

Online Publication Date: 8 February 2012

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This study investigated how stoichiometry affects processes associated with current carriers by undertaking a kinetics investigation of electron loss processes in the copper-indium-gallium selenide (CIGS) samples prepared by PVD and sol-gel methods. Owing to these processes, the current carriers generated by light can be trapped or recombined after a thermalization process and fail to reach electrodes during their lifetime and adversely impact the photovoltaic performance of solar elements. The microwave photoconductivity method provides an effective means of obtaining data on the lifetime and energy distribution of traps for current carriers. Experimental results indicate that the free electron lifetimes in the best samples prepared in both methods are approximately the same, yet decrease with a decline in stoichiometry.

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88.40.H-	Solar cells (photovoltaics)
81.70.Pg	Thermal analysis, differential thermal analysis (DTA), differential thermogravimetric analysis
61.66.Bi	Elemental solids
61.66.Dk	Alloys

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Electrodeposition of stoichiometric CdTe thin film for photovoltaic application

H. Y. Ueng and S. Y. Yang

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 011605 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3670409 (5 pages)

Online Publication Date: 8 February 2012

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Theoretical model based on the Buler-Volmer equation was developed to obtain the potential of perfect stoichiometry (PPS) under a variety of deposited conditions, and results were confirmed experimentally. It also shows that the stoichiometric deviation of CdTe thin film can be controlled accurately. The simulation of electrodeposited process for CdTe was conditioned in the acidic electrolyte containing reducible ions of Cd²⁺ and HTeO₂⁺. Based on the simulated predictions, well-connected granular CdTe thin films were deposited at PPS. Due to near stoichiometric sample shows slightly p-type, the concentration of HTeO₂⁺ ion was then decrease to reach more intrinsic condition under the PPS applied. Particularly, the p-type, near i-type and n type of CdTe thin films can be electrodeposited se-quentially. The thickness of each layers deposited was achieved by varying the applied potential with different deposited time.

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88.40.H-	Solar cells (photovoltaics)
68.55.ag	Semiconductors
82.45.Gj	Electrolytes

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Review: The use of geographic information systems in wind turbine and wind energy research

Tanya Christidis and Jane Law

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 012701 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3673565 (9 pages)

Online Publication Date: 4 January 2012

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This paper is a review of wind energy articles that use geographic information systems (GIS). It is the hope of the authors that the article will inform renewable energy researchers of the potential for using GIS in their work, and geographers and spatial scientists to learn about the opportunities in wind turbine research. GIS can be used for wind energy planning to determine whether there is adequate wind energy at a site as well as whether the landscape and land-uses are appropriate for wind turbine developments. These types of GIS applications have been used worldwide, typically using previously collected data. To determine which sites are preferable, variables of interest are treated as distinct layers in GIS, and areas that are unsuitable for wind turbine development become evident. Areas that are not preferred for wind turbines are environmentally protected areas or landscapes that cannot be developed effectively. GIS is the ideal tool for identifying preferred sites for wind farms, especially when using decision support systems. Future decision support system research in GIS should consider on-site conditions as well as the opinion of stakeholders and local residents. Involving stakeholders in the decision-making process, either through increased communication or visualization activities that use GIS can lead to higher acceptance of wind turbine installations. Examining the failures and successes of other wind turbine installations may be informative for future developments

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88.50.G-	Wind turbines
88.50.J-	Wind farms
88.50.-k	Wind energy

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Review of typical vs. synthesized energy modeling weather files

Ibraheem A. Al-Mofeez, Mohammad Y. Numan, Khalid A. Alshaibani, and Faris A. Al-Maziad

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 012702 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3672191 (8 pages)

Online Publication Date: 13 January 2012

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This paper reviews the widely used weather file formats, namely, typical meteorological year (TMY) of evolved versions, test reference year (TRY), weather year for energy calculation (WYEC), design reference year (DRY) as well as synthetically generated meteorological year (SMY) used in energy simulation and renewable-energy studies. This paper examines the fundamentals underlying their structure as to how they support and interface with the available energy simulation and modeling software as well as computer systems on which they operate. The differences in TMY, TRY, WYEC, DRY, and SMY in the selection and weighting of weather parameters are discussed, outlining the pros and cons of each type. Finally, sample dry bulb temperature regimes from SMY and TMY weather files are presented to show the differences in average monthly maximum, minimum, and mean temperatures.

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89.20.Kk	Engineering
93.85.Bc	Computational methods and data processing, data acquisition and storage
92.40.Zg	Hydrometeorology, hydroclimatology

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Biodiesel as an alternative fuel for direct injection diesel engines: A review

G. R. Kannan and R. Anand

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 012703 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3687942 (17 pages)

Online Publication Date: 24 February 2012

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Biodiesel is an alternative fuel to diesel engine that can replace or reduce the use of petroleum diesel. Biodiesel is derived from vegetable oils, animal fats, and waste cooking oils through transesterification reaction. This paper reviews the optimization of transesterification process for different varieties of biodiesel by considering the factors such as alcohols, fatty acid content, molar ratio of alcohols to oil, catalyst concentration, reaction temperature, and reaction time. The review also addresses various technical aspects of biodiesel usage in diesel engine to improve the cold flow properties, performance, combustion characteristics and reduce the emission characteristics, particularly nitric oxide and smoke compared to diesel through either modifying engine parameters like fuel injection pressure and timing or fuel modification by blending with alcohols, diesel, and metal based additives.

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88.20.F-	Renewable alternative fuels from biomass energy
89.20.Bb	Industrial and technological research and development
89.20.Kk	Engineering

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Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats-Decontamination technologies and recent patents: A review

Abdul Wadood Khan, Sabna Kotta, Shahid Hussain Ansari, Rakesh Kumar Sharma, Vinod Kumar, Sudha Rana, and Javed Ali

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 012704 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3688029 (16 pages)

Online Publication Date: 24 February 2012

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With the increase in the intensity of threats perception and possibility of mass casualties in case of a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) emergency, there is a need to develop novel and effective systems for decontamination. The natural calamity in Japan leading to world’s most critical nuclear emergency exposed lack of decontamination formulation and technologies globally. There is a need to develop novel and effective systems for decontamination as the current technologies are expensive and cannot be used by victim themselves. Decontamination formulations that can be used by victims themselves are need of time. The review gives a brief introduction about the various CBRN agents and a concise discussion about the decontamination technologies available globally. The article also provides a review of the existing patents on the methods, equipment/devices used in CBRN decontamination.

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89.20.Kk	Engineering
89.60.Ec	Environmental safety
28.41.Te	Protection systems, safety, radiation monitoring, accidents, and dismantling

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Production of bio-oil from mahua de-oiled cake by thermal pyrolysis

Vikranth Volli and R. K. Singh

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 013101 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3676074 (9 pages)

Online Publication Date: 6 January 2012

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De-oiled cakes, a source of biomass in the form of agriculture residue, could be an ideal source for the production of bio-fuels that can be substituted with conventional fossil fuels. In this study, pyrolysis of mahua de-oiled cake (Madhuca indica) was carried in a semi-batch reactor at the temperatures of 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, and 600 °C. The optimum temperature at which maximum yield of 41.36% (by weight) liquid product obtained was 550 °C. Empirical formula of the bio-oil was established as CH_1.379N_0.0576S_0.004O_0.614. The thermal degradation of mahua de-oiled cake was studied in inert atmosphere from ambient temperature to a temperature of 600 °C at a heating rate of 25 °C min⁻¹. The chemical composition of bio-char was investigated by using SEM-EDX and its heating value was determined to be 26 MJ/kg. Characterization showed that the bio-oil obtained can potentially be valued as fuel and chemical feedstock.

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88.20.F-	Renewable alternative fuels from biomass energy
82.30.Lp	Decomposition reactions (pyrolysis, dissociation, and fragmentation)

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Performance of copper coated two stroke spark ignition engine with methanol-blended gasoline with catalytic converter

M. V. S. Murali Krishna, K. Kishor, A. V. S. S. K. S. Gupta, P. V. K. Murthy, and S. Narasimha Kumar

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 013102 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3664743 (9 pages)

Online Publication Date: 25 January 2012

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This paper reports performance evaluation of two-stroke, single cylinder spark ignition (SI) engine with methanol blended gasoline (80% gasoline, 20% methanol by volume) having copper coated engine (CCE) [copper (thickness, 300 μm) coated on piston crown, and inner side of cylinder head] provided with catalytic converter with sponge iron as catalyst and compared with conventional SI engine with gasoline operation. Brake thermal efficiency increased with methanol blended gasoline with both versions of the engine. CCE showed improved performance when compared to conventional engine (CE) with both test fuels. Catalytic converter with air injection significantly reduced pollutants with both test fuels on both configurations of the engine.

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07.20.Pe	Heat engines; heat pumps; heat pipes
89.20.Bb	Industrial and technological research and development
89.20.Kk	Engineering

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Functionalizing the rear scatterer in a luminescent solar concentrator

Michael G. Debije and Wouter Dekkers

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 013103 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3682065 (6 pages)

Online Publication Date: 1 February 2012

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Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are presented that use a rear scattering layer made of a phosphorescent material for improving the use of the incident solar light spectrum. Besides simply scattering incident light that passes through the waveguide proper, the phosphor can absorb blue light and emit this light at a wavelength more amenable to absorption by the fluorescent dye. Integrated emission energies from the LSCs may be increased using the phosphor scatterer 4%–40% depending on the concentration of dye in the waveguide when compared to standard white scatterers.

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42.79.Ek	Solar collectors and concentrators
42.70.Jk	Polymers and organics
42.70.Nq	Other nonlinear optical materials; photorefractive and semiconductor materials
42.79.Gn	Optical waveguides and couplers

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Anaerobic fermentation hydrogen production from apple residue: Effects of sludge pretreatments

Hui Wang, Hui Xu, Shenghua Ma, Zelun Zhi, Xiaofang Wang, Zhong Fang, Ming Fang, and Jintao Bai

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 013104 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3682077 (7 pages)

Online Publication Date: 1 February 2012

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Activated sludge from sewage treatment plant was tested for their suitability as inoculum source for the fermentation H₂ production. A series of batch experiments were conducted to study the effects of various sludge pretreatments (domestication, boiling, acid, and alkali) on the fermentative H2 production from apple residue. The sludge domestication process markedly shortens the H2-producing lag time, and H2 gas was produced only 5 min after mixing the sludge and substrate. The boiling pretreatment of the sludge is better than the acid and alkali pretreatments in enhancing hydrogen yield from apple residue. The best domestication and boiling time for the sludge were 6 h and 30 min, respectively. A maximum cumulative H₂ yield of 87.33 ml·g⁻¹-TS with an average H₂ production rate of 14.56 ml·g⁻¹-TS·h⁻¹ was obtained at the fermentation temperature of 37 °C, initial pH 7.0, and substrate concentrate of 20 g·l⁻¹.

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88.20.jm	Hydrolysis and fermentation
88.30.E-	Hydrogen production with renewable energy

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Impacts of aerosols on available solar energy at Mbour, Senegal

Mamadou Drame, Boudy Ould Bilal, Moctar Camara, Vincent Sambou, and Amadou Gaye

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 013105 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3682078 (12 pages)

Online Publication Date: 2 February 2012

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This study aims to evaluate the available solar potential (direct normal on the overall horizontal plane) and to estimate the observed impact of aerosols on solar radiation at Mbour, Senegal (16.958 °W; 14. 394 °N) using observations from solar instruments and AERONET during 2006. The results show the presence of a good available solar potential. At intra-seasonal timescale, the total and direct normal energy are stronger in May with a mean value of 7 kWh/m²/day and February with an average value of 5.50 kWh/m²/day. The lower available total and direct normal solar energies are, respectively, found in August (5.31 kWh/m²/day) and July (2.90 kWh/m²/day). The observations of AERONET show that aerosol optical depth values are higher in June (0.7) and lower in February (0.16). These results are consistent with the observed trends of total and direct normal energy during those months. Case studies of the influence of aerosols on available solar energy show a mean decrease of 10% and 28%, respectively, for the total and direct normal energies. This decrease does not vary much from the rainy season to the dry season, but there is a strong diurnal fluctuation in the rainy season probably due to the presence of cloud droplets.

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88.40.-j	Solar energy
82.70.Rr	Aerosols and foams

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Power management strategy based on adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system for fuel cell-battery hybrid vehicle

Qi Li, Weirong Chen, Shukui Liu, Zhiyu You, Shiyong Tao, and Yankun Li

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 013106 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3682057 (12 pages)

Online Publication Date: 3 February 2012

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A power management strategy based on an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system is proposed to enhance the fuel economy of fuel cell-battery hybrid vehicle and increase the mileage of continuation of journey. The model of hybrid vehicle for fuel cell-battery structure is developed by electric vehicle simulation software advisor. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed strategy can satisfy the power requirement of four standard drive cycles and achieve the power distribution between fuel cell system and battery. The comprehensive comparisons with a power tracking control strategy which is widely adopted in advisor verify that the proposed strategy has better validity in terms of fuel economy in four standard drive cycles. Hence, the proposed strategy will take important effect for designing advanced power management system of hybrid vehicle.

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88.85.Hj	Electric vehicles (EVs)
88.85.Fg	Plug-in hybrid vehicles (HEVs)
88.85.Cd	Fuel cell vehicles (FCVs)

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The effect of an externally attached neutrally buoyant transmitter on mortal injury during simulated hydroturbine passage

Richard S. Brown, Brett D. Pflugrath, Thomas J. Carlson, and Z. Daniel Deng

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 013107 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3682062 (7 pages)

Online Publication Date: 3 February 2012

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On their seaward migration, juvenile salmonids commonly pass hydroelectric dams. Fish passing through hydroturbines experience a rapid decrease in pressure as they pass by the turbine blade. The severity of this decompression can be highly variable but can result in injuries such as swim bladder rupture, exophthalmia, and emboli and hemorrhaging in the fins and tissues. Recent research indicates that the presence of a telemetry tag (acoustic, radio, inductive) implanted inside the coelom of a juvenile salmon increases the likelihood that the fish will be injured or die during turbine passage. Thus, previous turbine passage survival research conducted using telemetry tags implanted into the coelom of fish may have been inaccurate. Therefore, a new technique is needed to provide unbiased estimates of survival through turbines. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a neutrally buoyant externally attached acoustic transmitter on decompression-stressed juvenile Chinook salmon. Both nontagged fish and fish tagged with a neutrally buoyant external transmitter were exposed to a range of rapid decompressions simulating turbine passage. Juvenile Chinook salmon tagged with a neutrally buoyant externally attached acoustic transmitter did not experience a higher degree of barotrauma-induced injuries than their nontagged counterparts. We suggest that future research include field-based comparisons of survival and behavior among fish tagged with a neutrally buoyant external transmitter and those internally implanted with transmitters.

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88.60.K-	Hydroturbines
43.58.-e	Acoustical measurements and instrumentation

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Potential role of renewable energy in water desalination in Australia

Ben Rowlinson, Don Gunasekera, and Alberto Troccoli

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 013108 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3682060 (15 pages)

Online Publication Date: 8 February 2012

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With projected increases in population and urbanisation in Australia, the sustainable supply of water and energy over the medium to long term will be an important challenge. In this context, meeting a part of the growing demand for urban water may involve reliance upon desalinated water in the future. Moreover, the feasibility and viability of renewable energy sources for water desalination will be of policy importance, particularly in a potentially low carbon Australian economy. In this article, we analyse the potential applicability of solar and wind energy to provide power for water desalination. In two illustrative examples, we assess the feasibility of supplying 3% of Sydney’s projected total water consumption (supplied at an average rate of 24.7 Gl/yr) and 5% of Sydney’s projected water consumption (supplied at an average rate of 32.7 Gl/yr) over a 15-yr period (2011–2025) using a photovoltaic (PV) solar powered (130 MW) and a hybrid (PV solar and wind energy) powered (205 MW) reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plants, respectively. In addition to supplying cleaner energy, the renewable energy sources considered in this article have additional cost advantages in the presence of a carbon penalty. For example, at hypothetical carbon penalty rates of $20/tCO₂ and $30/tCO_2, the estimated cost savings—in net present value (NPV) terms assuming a discount rate of 4.2%—of the PV solar (hybrid) plant will amount to around be $18.7 m ($25.2 m) and $28.0 m ($37.9 m), respectively, over the 15-yr period, relative to a situation where the desalination plant is instead being powered by black coal. Under a discount rate of 8.4%, the cost savings of the PV solar (hybrid) plant associated with carbon penalty rates of $20/tCO₂ and $30/tCO₂ are estimated to be around $12.8 m ($17.6 m) and $19.2 m ($26.4 m), respectively, in NPV terms. Our analysis also shows that in addition to providing the required power supply for the illustrative desalination plants, the renewable energy supply sources analysed here would produce excess electricity that could be sold to a nearby grid. Consequently, assuming a wholesale electricity price of $36.74/MWh, the PV solar plant and the hybrid renewable plant are estimated to have the capacity to earn around $63.9 million and $110.0 million in NPV terms, respectively, over the 15-yr period, through excess electricity sales. Under a discount rate of 8.4%, the value of the excess electricity sales of the PV solar plant and the hybrid renewable plant are estimated to be around $54.5 million and $91.7 million, respectively, in NPV terms.

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88.40.-j	Solar energy
88.50.-k	Wind energy
88.80.Cd	Grid-connected distributed energy resources

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A first-principles density functional theory study of the electronic structural and thermodynamic properties of M₂ZrO₃ and M₂CO₃ (M = Na, K) and their capabilities for CO₂ capture

Yuhua Duan

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 013109 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3683519 (17 pages)

Online Publication Date: 8 February 2012

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Alkali metal zirconates could be used as solid sorbents for CO₂ capture. The structural, electronic, and phonon properties of Na₂ZrO₃, K₂ZrO₃, Na₂CO₃, and K₂CO₃ are investigated by combining the density functional theory with lattice phonon dynamics. The thermodynamics of CO₂ absorption/desorption reactions of these two zirconates are analyzed. The calculated results show that their optimized structures are in a good agreement with experimental measurements. The calculated band gaps are 4.339 eV (indirect), 3.641 eV (direct), 3.935 eV (indirect), and 3.697 eV (direct) for Na₂ZrO₃, K₂ZrO₃, Na₂CO₃, and K₂CO₃, respectively. The calculated phonon dispersions and phonon density of states for M₂ZrO₃ and M₂CO₃ (M = K, Na, Li) revealed that from K to Na to Li, their frequency peaks are shifted to high frequencies due to the molecular weight decreased from K to Li. From the calculated reaction heats and relationships of free energy change versus temperatures and CO₂ pressures of the M₂ZrO₃ (M = K, Na, Li) reacting with CO₂, we found that the performance of Na₂ZrO₃ capturing CO₂ is similar to that of Li₂ZrO₃ and is better than that of K₂ZrO₃. Therefore, Na₂ZrO₃ and Li₂ZrO₃ are good candidates of high temperature CO₂ sorbents and could be used for post-combustion CO₂ capture technologies.

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63.20.dk	First-principles theory
63.20.kd	Phonon-electron interactions
71.15.Mb	Density functional theory, local density approximation, gradient and other corrections
65.40.G-	Other thermodynamical quantities
63.70.+h	Statistical mechanics of lattice vibrations and displacive phase transitions
64.10.+h	General theory of equations of state and phase equilibria

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ZnO based quantum dot sensitized solar cell using CdS quantum dots

Neetu Singh, R. M. Mehra, Avinashi Kapoor, and T. Soga

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 013110 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3683531 (10 pages)

Online Publication Date: 8 February 2012

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This paper reports the fabrication of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) based quantum dot sensitized solar cell using Cadmium Sulphide (CdS) quantum dots (QDs) capped by poly vinyl alcohol (PVA). Chemical route was used to synthesize ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) as well as CdS QDs. The crystallite size of ZnO NPs was obtained to be 28 nm at 7 pH. The size of QDs decreased from 5.6 to 2.6 nm with increase in the PVA concentration from 2 to 10 wt. %. There is a blue shift in the band gap of QDs with increase in the concentration of PVA. Current-Voltage characteristic of the cell was obtained and various solar cell parameters were estimated. The efficiency of quantum dot sensitized solar cells was found to be 1.3% at AM 1.5.

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88.40.jm	Thin film III-V and II-VI based solar cells
88.40.hj	Efficiency and performance of solar cells

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Vortex-assisted figure-eight wing power system

David Labrecque, Dan Wheeler, and Eugene Katsman

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 013111 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3683527 (10 pages)

Online Publication Date: 10 February 2012

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Due to the rising demand for low-cost clean energy, the development of efficient wind and water energy-generating systems is one of the major goals of this century. A novel approach for extracting energy efficiently from wind and water currents utilizes a tail-weighted wing following a figure-eight trajectory. Our prototype consists of a vertical ribbon-type wing suspended at its endpoints by swivel bearings. Energy is extracted from the longitudinal pumping motion that occurs at the endpoints of this flexing wing. Since the forces in these wings are in tension like a suspension bridge, the design can potentially be scaled up to much larger sizes than current systems and sweep across enormous areas of moving fluid with a relatively small amount of material. High-speed photography is used to map out the trajectory of a prototype wing and to monitor water flow around the wing. These observations along with data from an interactive computer simulation program are used to study the vortices and hydrodynamic forces that propel the wing along the figure-eight trajectory. Our prototype is low-cost, simple to fabricate and extracts a high amount, 30%, of the total energy in the water that flows through it.

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88.50.Mp	Electricity generation, grid integration from wind
47.32.-y	Vortex dynamics; rotating fluids
47.85.Dh	Hydrodynamics, hydraulics, hydrostatics

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Thermal behavior of encapsulated phase change material energy storage

Hussain H. Al-Kayiem and Mohammed H. Alhamdo

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 013112 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3683532 (13 pages)

Online Publication Date: 10 February 2012

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The performance of thermal solar systems can be enhanced by extending its operational time by the aid of thermal energy storage. In the present work, the transient behavior of packed bed thermal energy storage (TES) was investigated experimentally and numerically. An experimental setup was designed and fabricated to simulate the charging and discharging operational modes of the system. 101 spherical capsules were filled with wax paraffin as PCM and packed in cylindrical container bed of 105 mm diameter and 420 mm long. The processes of the experimented storage system were simulated mathematically and solved numerically by finite difference technique. The analyses were carried out at two different mass velocity of the working fluid. The numerical model described the transient behavior of the system and it was in acceptable agreement with the experimental results. The transient period in the charging mode of the tested storage was around 30 min, while the energy recovery period in the discharging mode was around 60 min. The achieved results demonstrated that the tested TES could be used to enhance the performance of the thermal solar systems. The proposed packed bed thermal energy storage is easy to implement with low cost.

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84.60.-h	Direct energy conversion and storage
88.40.-j	Solar energy

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Theoretical analysis and experimental validation of a novel multilevel inverter topology for renewable energy interfacing applications

Krishna Kumar Gupta and Shailendra Jain

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 013113 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3683515 (15 pages)

Online Publication Date: 14 February 2012

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This paper presents a new topological structure for symmetrical cascaded multilevel inverters. The proposed circuit consists of cross-connected separate symmetrical DC sources which can generate number of levels equal to that of a cascaded H-bridge topology with reduced number of power switches. It is especially suitable for utility interfacing of renewable energy sources. It also offers the possibility of a transformer less and filter less operation. The working principle of the proposed topology is explained with the help of a single-phase five level inverter. Simulation results are obtained in matlab/simulink environment and are verified experimentally on a laboratory prototype. An exhaustive comparison of the proposed topology is made with the classical cascaded H-bridge topology, especially with the considerations of conduction losses and cost-effectiveness. The proposed topology results in the reduction of number of power switches, losses, installation area, and converter cost and thus can be implemented as an effective and efficient power electronic interface for renewable sources of energy with the utility grid.

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84.70.+p

High-current and high-voltage technology: power systems; power transmission lines and cables

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Sizing optimization of a wind pumping plant: Case study in Sfax, Tunisia

Nabiha Brahmi and Maher Chaabene

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 4, 013114 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3683530 (14 pages)

Online Publication Date: 16 February 2012

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The effectiveness of wind water pumping plant depends on the available wind potential in the region and on the plant components sizing. This paper presents an algorithm for wind potential assessment based on the widely used Weibull distribution. As many methods are adopted to determine Weibull parameters, an improvement version based on the selection of the most accurate method and the establishment of a huge database using an artificial neural network (ANN) is proposed. Since the site wind performance is evaluated, the wind generator blades surface is computed on the basis of the variation limits of the monthly wind potential and the well height of rise. The sizing principal considers the calculation of the gravity centre of the general function of surface. Results are illustrated using meteorological database provided by the National Institute of Meteorology (INM) corresponding to Sfax, Tunisia. Obtained results confirm that the modified maximum likelihood method (MMLM) is the most accurate one as it provides a monthly error between -11.6% and 2.3%. Hence, a typical pumping plant, with monthly water need of 15 m³month located in Sfax, Tunisia, requires 37 m² as optimum blades surface.

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88.50.Mp	Electricity generation, grid integration from wind
07.05.Mh	Neural networks, fuzzy logic, artificial intelligence
02.50.Ng	Distribution theory and Monte Carlo studies
02.60.Pn	Numerical optimization

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