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Articles 1 - 22 of 22
Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Application Of Silicon Nanohair Textured P-N Junctions In A Photovoltaic Device, Michael Small
Application Of Silicon Nanohair Textured P-N Junctions In A Photovoltaic Device, Michael Small
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The goal of this project is to design and develop a fabrication process for a silicon photovoltaic device which incorporates a nanohair textured p-n junction. The silicon nanowires are etched into a silicon wafer, comprising an epitaxial p-layer on n-substrate, via metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE). The resulting nanowires contain p-n junctions that lie along the length of the vertical nanowires. This construct has the potential to increase the optical bandwidth of a silicon photovoltaic device by allowing a greater amount of short wavelength light to reach the junction. In addition, the MACE method of nanofabrication has the potential for decreasing …
Open Source Low-Cost Power Monitoring System, Shane W. Oberloier, Joshua M. Pearce
Open Source Low-Cost Power Monitoring System, Shane W. Oberloier, Joshua M. Pearce
Department of Materials Science and Engineering Publications
This study presents an entirely open-source, low-cost power monitoring system capable of many types of measurements including both loads and supplies such as solar photovoltaic systems. In addition, the system can be fabricated using only open source software and hardware. The design revolves around the Digital Universal Energy Logger (DUEL) Node, which is responsible for reading and properly scaling the voltage and current of a particular load, and then serializing it via an on-board ATTiny85 chip. The configuration of the DUEL node allows for custom sensitivity ranges, and can handle up to 50 A and 300 V. Up to 127 …
Economic Advantages Of Dry-Etched Black Silicon In Passivated Emitter Rear Cell (Perc) Photovoltaic Manufacturing, Chiara Modanese, Hannu S. Laine, Toni P. Pasanen, Hele Savin, Joshua M. Pearce
Economic Advantages Of Dry-Etched Black Silicon In Passivated Emitter Rear Cell (Perc) Photovoltaic Manufacturing, Chiara Modanese, Hannu S. Laine, Toni P. Pasanen, Hele Savin, Joshua M. Pearce
Department of Materials Science and Engineering Publications
Industrial Czochralski silicon (Cz-Si) photovoltaic (PV) efficiencies have routinely reached >20% with the passivated emitter rear cell (PERC) design. Nanostructuring silicon (black-Si) by dry-etching decreases surface reflectance, allows diamond saw wafering, enhances metal gettering, and may prevent power conversion efficiency degradation under light exposure. Black-Si allows a potential for >20% PERC cells using cheaper multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) materials, although dry-etching is widely considered too expensive for industrial application. This study analyzes this economic potential by comparing costs of standard texturized Cz-Si and black mc-Si PERC cells. Manufacturing sequences are divided into steps, and costs per unit power are individually calculated …
Transformerless High-Power Medium-Voltage Multi-Module Pv Converters, Hasan Bayat
Transformerless High-Power Medium-Voltage Multi-Module Pv Converters, Hasan Bayat
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
This thesis is focused on the modular multilevel converter (MMC) for Photovoltaic (PV) applications. It is an attempt to address the issues associated with the modeling, control, and power mismatch elimination of the MMC-based PV systems. Firstly, a new real power reference generation scheme is proposed that creates a linear relationship between the real power reference of the system and the dc link voltage of the submodules. Further, a new power mismatch elimination strategy is proposed for the MMC-based PV system which ensures balanced currents are delivered to the host grid regardless of leg and arm power mismatches. The thesis …
Solar Cell Potential Induced Degradation Sensor, Luc Alexandre Tousignant
Solar Cell Potential Induced Degradation Sensor, Luc Alexandre Tousignant
Materials Engineering
It is important to maintain Photovoltaic (PV) cells and protect them from damage mechanisms like Potential Induced Degradation (PID), which can contribute to shorter lifespans and lower efficiencies. Current leakage through cell encapsulation can cause charge migration in PV cells that reduces the maximum quantum efficiency, which is the cause of PID. An experiment was setup to determine the feasibility of a non-silicon sensor able to produce similar leakage behavior to traditional PV cells under recorded humidity conditions. Thin sheet metals were encapsulated in EVA, a common PV encapsulant polymer, and mounted in aluminum framing. Three sensors, along with a …
The Analysis And Study Of Power System Designs For Same Polytechnic College In Tanzania, Kevin Lum Hua
The Analysis And Study Of Power System Designs For Same Polytechnic College In Tanzania, Kevin Lum Hua
Master's Theses
The Mbesese Initiative for Sustainable Development (MISD) is a group aiming to help eliminate extreme poverty in Africa by creating educational opportunity. One project that the group is currently doing is to build Same Polytechnic College (SPC) in Tanzania. As part of the project, this thesis aims to study and analyze the electrical power system and distribution for the college. Based on the projected load profile of the college and high potential for solar generation in Tanzania, several different power systems utilizing local utility AC electricity and/or photovoltaic (PV) DC electricity are explored and simulated for their feasibility and performance. …
Self-Sufficiency Of 3-D Printers: Utilizing Stand-Alone Solar Photovoltaic Power Systems, Khalid Yousuf Khan, Lucia Gauchia, Joshua M. Pearce
Self-Sufficiency Of 3-D Printers: Utilizing Stand-Alone Solar Photovoltaic Power Systems, Khalid Yousuf Khan, Lucia Gauchia, Joshua M. Pearce
Department of Materials Science and Engineering Publications
A self-replicating rapid prototyper (RepRap) is a type of 3-D printer capable of printing many of its own components in addition to a wide assortment of products from high-value scientific or medical tools to household products and toys. There is some evidence that these printers could provide low-cost distributed manufacturing in underprivileged rural areas. For the most isolated communities without access to the electric grid, a low-cost alternative energy is needed. Solar energy can be harvested through a stand-alone photovoltaic (PV) power system specifically designed to match the needs of the RepRap. The voltage and current requirement for the printer …
Stretchable Methyl Ammonium Lead Iodide Perovskite Solar Cells For Photovoltaic And Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting, William Tait
Stretchable Methyl Ammonium Lead Iodide Perovskite Solar Cells For Photovoltaic And Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting, William Tait
University Scholar Projects
The goal of this work was to fabricate an inverse planar perovskite solar cell (PSC) that was stretchable in one dimension and completely solution-processible. Perovskites are a material that have attracted much attention in recent years due to their appealing characteristics, such as being photovoltaic and piezoelectric. PSCs have been the focus of many studies in the solar cell area, as they are solution-processible and have shown high efficiencies relative to the amount of time they have been studied. Fabricating a PSC on a stretchable substrate would be beneficial, as a bendable, stretchable PSC would likely have more applications than …
The Impact Of Waters Of Low Quality On Soiling Removal From Photovoltaic Panels, Alisson Luiz Boeing
The Impact Of Waters Of Low Quality On Soiling Removal From Photovoltaic Panels, Alisson Luiz Boeing
UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones
Soiling, bird droppings, or the accumulation of dust on the surface of photovoltaic cells, can significantly reduce the solar energy absorption and produce power losses. In solar plants where soiling is a problem, solar facilities use demineralized or distilled water for washing the panels to avoid mineral scale deposits that might interfere with solar irradiance absorption. However, in arid and dusty environments, water is normally scarce. For cleaning solar panels, the use of low quality water in lieu of the industry-standard demineralized water could conserve fresh water. The objectives of this research were as follows: evaluate the impacts of low …
Medicial Clinic At Mission Twentyfive35 Vocational Village - Dominican Republic, Sarah C. De Los Reyes
Medicial Clinic At Mission Twentyfive35 Vocational Village - Dominican Republic, Sarah C. De Los Reyes
Construction Management
This community medical clinic will be the first of its kind in the rural town of Villa Tapia, Dominican Republic It is Phase II of a five-phase master plan drafted by religious organization Mission Twenty-Five35, founded by the Romano family The team consists of Cal Poly undergraduate students: Griffin Chierici (Architecture), Erica Croft and Tommy Sidebottom (Architectural Engineering), and Sarah De Los Reyes (Construction Management), backed by the guidance and support of non-profit organization Journeyman International and A/E firm Smith Group JJR The task was to design a clinic that would serve as a pediatric and urgent care center but …
Student Led Service-Learning Initiative: Installation Of Photovoltaic Water-Pump Systems In The Ecuador Amazon Rainforest, Kelly M. Williams
Student Led Service-Learning Initiative: Installation Of Photovoltaic Water-Pump Systems In The Ecuador Amazon Rainforest, Kelly M. Williams
Construction Management
The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) student chapter at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California was selected by an association called ELECTRI International to participate in their Student Community Service Initiative program. The goal of the program is to “Encourage construction management and electrical engineering students to take an active role in improving access to electricity in developing communities” (“Student Passport Program”). This paper summarizes the findings of a student-led project made possible by ELECTRI International’s program. The project included coordinating, funding, and executing a project to facilitate the installation of photovoltaic water pump systems to indigenous …
Design, Fabrication, And Characterization Of Novel Optoelectronic Devices For Near-Infrared Detection, Ahmad Nusir
Design, Fabrication, And Characterization Of Novel Optoelectronic Devices For Near-Infrared Detection, Ahmad Nusir
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Investigating semiconductor materials and devices at the nanoscale has become crucial in order to maintain the exponential development in today’s technology. There is a critical need for making devices lower in power consumption and smaller in size. Nanoscale semiconductor materials provide a powerful platform for optoelectronic device engineers. They own interesting properties which include enhanced photoconductivity and size-tunable interband transitions.
In this research, different types of nanostructures were investigated for optoelectronic devices: nanocrystals, nanowires, and thin-films. First, lead selenide nanocrystals with narrow bandgap were synthesized, size-tailored, and functionalized with molecular ligands for the application of uncooled near-infrared photodetectors. The devices …
Developing A 1-Megawatt Photovoltaic Power Plant For Liberty University, Andrew Knudsen
Developing A 1-Megawatt Photovoltaic Power Plant For Liberty University, Andrew Knudsen
Senior Honors Theses
A photovoltaic power plant with a generation capacity of 1-megawatt is designed for Liberty University. Liberty University’s location and size are stated to provide context for the design. Design choices are presented, first with general information that is applicable to any photovoltaic plant design, then with significant factors that impact this design. Specific models of solar panels and inverters are selected after the necessary classifications are determined. The final design has 2,880 solar panels with a fixed angle 30⁰ above the horizon, has two central inverters, and takes up 2.57 acres. Future research is suggested for finances as well as …
Energy Payback Time Of A Solar Photovoltaic Powered Waste Plastic Recyclebot System, Shan Zhong, Pratiksha Rakhe, Joshua M. Pearce
Energy Payback Time Of A Solar Photovoltaic Powered Waste Plastic Recyclebot System, Shan Zhong, Pratiksha Rakhe, Joshua M. Pearce
Joshua M. Pearce
The growth of both plastic consumption and prosumer 3-D printing are driving an interest in producing 3-D printer filaments from waste plastic. This study quantifies the embodied energy of a vertical DC solar photovoltaic (PV) powered recyclebot based on life cycle energy analysis and compares it to horizontal AC recyclebots, conventional recycling, and the production of a virgin 3-D printer filament. The energy payback time (EPBT) is calculated using the embodied energy of the materials making up the recyclebot itself and is found to be about five days for the extrusion of a poly lactic acid (PLA) filament or 2.5 …
Fabricating Ordered 2-D Nano-Structured Arrays Using Nanosphere Lithography, Chenlong Zhang, Sandra Cvetanovic, Joshua M. Pearce
Fabricating Ordered 2-D Nano-Structured Arrays Using Nanosphere Lithography, Chenlong Zhang, Sandra Cvetanovic, Joshua M. Pearce
Joshua M. Pearce
Recent advances in the use of plasmonic metamaterials to improve absorption of light in thin-film solar photovoltaic devices has created a demand for a scalable method of patterning large areas with metal nanostructures deposited in an ordered array. This article describes two methods of fabricating ordered 2D nanosphere colloidal films: spin coating and interface coating. The two methods are compared and parameter optimization discussed. The study reveals that:
• For smaller nanosphere sizes, spin coating is more favorable, while for larger nanospheres, the angled interface coating provides more coverage and uniformity.
• A surfactant-free approach for interface coating is developed …
General Design Procedures For Airport-Based Solar Photovoltaic Systems, Anurag Anurag, Jiemin Zhang, Jephias Gwamuri, Joshua M. Pearce
General Design Procedures For Airport-Based Solar Photovoltaic Systems, Anurag Anurag, Jiemin Zhang, Jephias Gwamuri, Joshua M. Pearce
Joshua M. Pearce
A source of large surface areas for solar photovoltaic (PV) farms that has been largely overlooked in the 13,000 United States of America (U.S.) airports. This paper hopes to enable PV deployments in most airports by providing an approach to overcome the three primary challenges identified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA): (1) reflectivity and glare; (2) radar interference; and (3) physical penetration of airspace. First, these challenges and precautions that must be adhered to for safe PV projects deployment at airports are reviewed and summarized. Since one of the core concerns for PV and airport symbiosis is solar panel …
Design Of Post-Consumer Modification Of Standard Solar Modules To Form Large-Area Building-Integrated Photovoltaic Roof Slates, Joshua M. Pearce, Jay Meldrum, Nolan Osborne
Design Of Post-Consumer Modification Of Standard Solar Modules To Form Large-Area Building-Integrated Photovoltaic Roof Slates, Joshua M. Pearce, Jay Meldrum, Nolan Osborne
Joshua M. Pearce
Building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems have improved aesthetics but generally cost far more than conventional PV systems because of small manufacturing scale. Thus, in the short and medium term, there is a need for a BIPV mounting system that utilizes conventional modules. Such a design is provided here with a novel modification of conventional photovoltaic (PV) modules to allow them to act as BIPV roofing slates. The open-source designs for the mechanical components necessary to provide the post-consumer conversion for a conventional PV module are provided, and prototypes are fabricated and installed on a mock roof system along with control modules …
Design And Optimization Of Hybrid Energy Storage For Photovoltaicpower Fluctuation Smoothing Based On Frequency Analysis, Yanting Zeng
Design And Optimization Of Hybrid Energy Storage For Photovoltaicpower Fluctuation Smoothing Based On Frequency Analysis, Yanting Zeng
Theses and Dissertations
As the output power of photovoltaic generation system is affected by factors such as light intensity and temperature, it creates greater randomness and volatility. When the power changes quickly and fluctuates, the traditional energy storage devices often can’t balance the power effectively. In this research Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) method is used to transform the photovoltaic stabilization power in the original time domain to the frequency domain for analysis. And percentage method was used to select the most typical PV data in the frequency domain. Then, the selected power was converted back to the time domain using Inverse Fast Fourier …
Advanced Topologies Of High-Voltage-Gain Dc-Dc Boost Converters For Renewable Energy Applications, Ahmad Alzahrani
Advanced Topologies Of High-Voltage-Gain Dc-Dc Boost Converters For Renewable Energy Applications, Ahmad Alzahrani
Doctoral Dissertations
This dissertation proposes several advanced power electronic converters that are suitable for integrating low-voltage dc input sources, such as photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, to a high voltage dc bus in a 200 - 960 V dc distribution system. The proposed converters operate in the continuous conduction mode (CCM) and offer desirable features such as low-voltage stresses on components, continuous input currents, and the ability to integrate several independent dc input sources. First, a family of scalable interleaved boost converters with voltage multiplier cells (VMC) is introduced. Several possible combinations of Dickson and Cockcroft-Walton VMCs are demonstrated and compared in terms …
Probabilistic Risk Assessment Of Power Quality Variations And Events Under Temporal And Spatial Characteristic Of Increased Pv Integration In Low-Voltage Distribution Networks, Shivananda Pukhrem, Malabika Basu, Michael Conlon
Probabilistic Risk Assessment Of Power Quality Variations And Events Under Temporal And Spatial Characteristic Of Increased Pv Integration In Low-Voltage Distribution Networks, Shivananda Pukhrem, Malabika Basu, Michael Conlon
Articles
The aim of this paper is to perform a probabilistic risk assessment of power quality variations and events that may arise due to high photovoltaic distributed generation (PVDG) integration in a low-voltage distribution network (LVDN). Due to the spatial and temporal behavior of PV generation and load demand, such an assessment is vital before integrating PVDG at the existing load buses. Two power quality (PQ) variations such as voltage magnitude variation and phase unbalance together with one PQ abnormal event are considered as the PQ impact metrics. These PQ impact metrics are assessed in terms of two PQ indices, namely …
Supercapacitor Utilization For Power Smoothening And Stability Improvement Of Ahybrid Energy System In A Weak Grid Environment, Rahul Sharma, Sathans Suhag
Supercapacitor Utilization For Power Smoothening And Stability Improvement Of Ahybrid Energy System In A Weak Grid Environment, Rahul Sharma, Sathans Suhag
Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences
In this paper, a novel control scheme based on the application of a supercapacitor (SC) is proposed for power smoothening and stability improvement of a hybrid energy system (HES) in weak grid conditions. The basic property of fast charging/discharging of the SC is utilized to design the proposed control. In weak grid conditions, the control structure is proposed for power smoothening and DC link voltage regulation with the help of the SC. Moreover, the stability is increased, ripples in voltage are reduced, there is fast dynamic response, and oscillations are damped out under different conditions. In conventional control, voltage controller …
Photovoltaic Inverter Control To Sustain High Quality Of Service, Yan Chen
Photovoltaic Inverter Control To Sustain High Quality Of Service, Yan Chen
Theses and Dissertations
The increasing penetration of distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) generation presents both challenges and opportunities for distribution systems. The intermittent nature of solar irradiance may lead to power quality degradation. At the same time, PV inverters –if properly designed and operated– can be used to improve power quality. The goal of this dissertation is to develop power flow optimization methods for power distribution networks with high penetration of PV generation. The approaches proposed in this dissertation have been tested using the modified version of the IEEE 34-node distribution system and the IEEE 123-node distribution system, as well as the validated model …