Solar energy is one of the most abundant energy resources on earth, but its potential is far from being exploited, according to industry experts. Advanced solar energy technologies are broadly characterized by active solar techniques including photovoltaic panels for electrical energy production, solar collectors for thermal energy production and hybrid systems for electrical and thermal energy production.
As the solar energy is not a continuous energy source, the technologies to harvest as much solar energy as possible are surging rapidly. Apart from innovative solar materials, original methods for obtaining maximum solar energy are emerging to compensate for the modest efficiency of the existing solar systems.
To enhance the power conversion efficiency, this project proposes different optimization methods based on sun tracking technologies. For electrical energy production, we suggest Photovoltaic panels (PV) with one-axis or two-axis sun tracking system as well as Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) using moveable lenses or mirrors as optical boosters to concentrate light beams. For thermal energy production, Concentrator Photovoltaic modules connected to a thermal system (CPV-T) as well as Solar Thermal Collector (STC) equipped with sun tracking reflectors will be initiated.
The main goal of this project is to demonstrate that optimal well-designed solar trackers are extremely interesting, especially for countries like Iran, with high solar radiation in the cold season at more than 1000 meters above sea level, as in Tehran and Sanandaj. This objective can be attained if the following challenges are overcome:
- Reducing the investment and maintenance costs of sun trackers and thereby their payback period by proposing an optimal mechanical design. This is suitable for mass production at small size and will allow deployment as decentralized system by gaining cost reductions due to the economies of scale.
- Boosting energy performance of solar systems by improving their sun tracking strategy, through reliable solar radiation modeling, real-time optimization methods and advanced control algorithms.
Based on the current state of research and the existing know-how and competences of all the partners, we address the following objectives:
- Mechanical design optimization of solar tracking infrastructure by identifying the latest techniques in material and mechanical design of solar systems (PV, CPV, CPV-T, STC) to optimize their moving parts, minimize their costs and improve their efficiency by means of product optimization tools such as CAD-based engineering application as well as Digital Twin technology.
- Sun tracking algorithm optimization by outlining the key challenges of solar radiation modeling and real-time optimization of sun tracking devices concerned with complex calculation, objective function formulation, hybridization, cost-effectiveness and efficiency. Innovative control algorithms such as Model Predictive Control (MPC), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) based on Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) and adaptive Sliding Mode Controller (SMC) will be evaluated.
- Development of a collaborative methodology through an online remote research platform for experimental activities by implementing innovative methodologies through an open, sustainable and remote infrastructure. The goal is to provide online access to the remote solar systems which will be placed in the 3 sites (Sion, Sanandaj and Tehran) for experimentation, side-by-side comparison and efficiency evaluation of the solar tracking systems, under different weather conditions.
The final objective is to deliver a proof of concept for robust optimal sun trackers (Hardware and Software) based on investment and maintenance costs, operation issues, size, efficiency and reliability, while keeping manufacturing and sales costs affordable for developing countries. The analysis, key findings and recommendations will contribute to the development of efficient and sustainable renewable energy production, to supply electrical or thermal off-grid energy at home or office with a commercial potential in the future.
Within the frame of the present project, a large variety of simulated and experimental data will be generated. As they can be of interest for other researchers or institutions, efforts will be made to collect them according to the existing procedures, to store them on secure supports, servers and repositories and finally to make them available to the interested people and scientific communities.
Based on the work packages of the project, simulated and experimental data will be collected. They are related to the mechanical design of the solar energy systems (PV panels, CPV modules, CPV-T modules, STC modules), the settings of the parameters, the operational conditions, the solar system models and their different control algorithms for sun tracking as well as the follow-up of the measurements during the tests and experimentation phase. The experimentation phase will be conducted under different weather conditions in 3 locations: HES-SO Valais in Sion/Switzerland, University of Amirkabir in Tehran/Iran and University of Kurdistan in Sanandaj/Iran.
The solar systems are equipped with appropriate sensors to measure different important variables such as voltage, current, electrical energy and power, thermal energy and losses, temperature, solar radiation, energy efficiency and so on.
Depending on the research questions, we will need to collect quantitative and qualitative data:
- The quantitative datasets are available in multiple file formats (Rdata, xlsx, csv, txt, tab, mat,...) compatible with most common software packages. The form of these datasets will be tables containing time-based measurements of each of the variables and different settings for the specific overarching conditions.
- They qualitative datasets will be complemented by a set of data interpretations, observations and analysis made by the operators and researchers and recorded in electronic lab notebooks or MS Word reports. In addition, Matlab Static tools and the statistics package “R” will be used to perform data analysis.
The number of datasets generated will depend on the variety of the system parameters tested and the number of tests conducted during the project on the 3 sites (Sion, Tehran, Sanadaj), under different weather conditions within 3 years.
All the data stored can be re-used indirectly in the form of gained know-how and for side-by side comparison, efficiency evaluation and optimization of the solar systems and improving the sun tracking of one-axis and two-axis solar energy systems.
Data will mostly be released together with a publication in a scientific journal. Sets of data not entering this scope will be released at the latest 5 years after the end date of the project or before, in agreement with all partners of the consortium.
The only limitation to make publicly available data generated within the consortium is to obtain a full agreement from the research partners. One of the research partners can limit the publication of data of the consortium if this is data generated within his/her own research group and he is planning a future publication or release of the data.
Awards
- Swiss National Science Foundation