Looking for a research topic regarding solar power applications

bikiranguha

Hi all,

I have just joined my grad program, and am currently looking for ideas to do research in photovoltaic applications. Not on the solar panels itself, because my university does not have enough equipments to do experiments in tweaking solar cell design, but I can do experiments with the power electronic part of the solar panel system.

The only idea I have got so far is that I can work on increasing the efficiency of the inverter-mppt-battery part. Dont know where to start though.

Any suggestions, to make life a little easier?

Thanks.

BB.

Re: Looking for a research topic regarding solar power applications

You can look at were the losses are in terms of electricity efficiency:

~81% solar panel derating (primarily as cells get hot, Vmp drops. Add a bit of losses for wiring, dirt on panels, etc.).
~95% charge controller efficiency
~80% flooded cell lead acid battery eff (~90% or better for AGM, other batter technologies can be worse)
~85% AC inverter efficiency

Add ~25% solar energy collection for 2 axis tracking vs fixed array.
Add "losses" for energy inefficient homes (have seen approximately a 50% drop in energy usage the first time somebody actually looks at energy usage and performs extensive changes in energy usage--Conservation, insulation, energy star appliances, etc.).

Limitations in current storage technologies... Lead Acid batteries are usually most cost effective with around 1-3 days of useful energy storage... During "winter" (poor weather/solar radiation availability) most people need to use alternative power sources (backup genset) to make it through the time period. Many other battery chemistries/technologies--But those other battery types have their own limitations/issues.

Alternative RE sources (wind, water) tend to be very site specific and have their own limitations/costs. The battery bank is still the heart of the power system--With its limitations.

You can also look at things in terms of monetary efficiency.

Overall, manufacturing has driven the costs of systems down a lot (and added computing power for more options, logging, control, etc.). Outsourcing, automation, etc. have driven the price of a system down dramatically with very similar designs/components (mostly a drop in solar panel pricing).

Raw material prices have mostly been flat to increasing. Fluctuating prices vs supply (silicon ingots). Vs pricing of fossil fuels (competing issues of government polices to increase the costs/prices of "carbon based" fuels vs new drilling technologies vs "fracking", etc.). In California (for example), heavy regulations applied to fixed (and off road) gasoline/diesel/etc. motors regarding emissions controls/limitations.

And there are subsidies, tax polices, price of money, regulatory policies (property taxes, sales taxes, issues around billing for utility power/net metering, various grants).

-Bill

bill von novak

Re: Looking for a research topic regarding solar power applications

bikiranguha wrote: »

The only idea I have got so far is that I can work on increasing the efficiency of the inverter-mppt-battery part. Dont know where to start though.

Research load shifting as a way to make more money from a time-of-use metered hybrid solar power system. For example, run solar all day and sell power during the high demand part of the day. Run on batteries during the evening during the high demand part of the evening. Then recharge the batteries at midnight when demand is low.

This is usually not economical to do since the batteries cost more (per kwhr stored) than they get you back. However with better batteries (LiFePO4?) and clever algorithms that use both batteries and adjustable loads (like dishwashers, EV charging and hot water heating) - you might be able to demonstrate some savings.

westbranch

Re: Looking for a research topic regarding solar power applications

I think you are indicating this topic is for a thesis. Masters? or Doctoral?
There is a resistance to PV power by commercial Grid Power supply/generation corporations. So what stops/retards homeowners readily going to PV power? The cost. The biggest cost, since the 2008 World economic downturn is STORAGE, as PV modules have dropped to 1/4 to 1/8 of their 2008 prices.

So investigate low cost (per KWh) storage mediums!

So what about:
comparing the existing old familiar technologies FLA, Gel, and AGM:
to the LI chemistry cells, note that there are many;
to the FLOW batteries and ;
to the molten salt storage types or any other leading edge types.

Just stick to the ones specifically designed to store/generate electrical power for household applications. Commercial apps will add too much complexity to the analysis.

niel

Re: Looking for a research topic regarding solar power applications

taking off on what westbranch started to say about the corporations there is a political battle brewing because of the reluctance of power companies to allow cogeneration on their lines from solar. these utilities are taking advantage of the majority of people and politicians being unfamiliar with it. these utilities are trying to maintain a level of control over the consumer even by scare tactics and trumped up charges to those with solar saying that those with solar are stealing and that is farthest from the case. the ongoing thread here on the forum concerning aps is a prime example of what i'm talking about.

bikiranguha

Re: Looking for a research topic regarding solar power applications

westbranch wrote: »

I think you are indicating this topic is for a thesis. Masters? or Doctoral?

Its for a masters thesis. Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it.

SolarPowered

Re: Looking for a research topic regarding solar power applications

You could write a thesis on the false market place of Photo Voltaics due to government tax credits and state rebates, and how the market will be no longer existent when it all expires in 2016, as the price of solar installation will be higher than grid parity.

Cariboocoot

Re: Looking for a research topic regarding solar power applications

SolarPowered wrote: »

You could write a thesis on the false market place of Photo Voltaics due to government tax credits and state rebates, and how the market will be no longer existent when it all expires in 2016, as the price of solar installation will be higher than grid parity.

And by the same token how fossil-fuel generated electricity is subsidized through many of the same schemes and the ignorance of the actual cost of the pollution it creates.

BTW you don't write a thesis based on a false premise, ever. You examine a theory and see if it holds true or study a circumstance and draw conclusions (except in the engineering field where you never commit to a definite answer of course ).

niel

Re: Looking for a research topic regarding solar power applications

SolarPowered wrote: »

You could write a thesis on the false market place of Photo Voltaics due to government tax credits and state rebates, and how the market will be no longer existent when it all expires in 2016, as the price of solar installation will be higher than grid parity.

really? then please tell me how pv got popular before incentives occurred? with your argument pvs should never have been. i should mention i have never received a dime in rebates or incentives.

NorthGuy

Re: Looking for a research topic regarding solar power applications

niel wrote: »

... i should mention i have never received a dime in rebates or incentives.

Me neither ...

But I did receive $250 for installing tankless water heater.

Lee Dodge

Re: Looking for a research topic regarding solar power applications

SolarPowered wrote: »

You could write a thesis on the false market place of Photo Voltaics due to government tax credits and state rebates, and how the market will be no longer existent when it all expires in 2016, as the price of solar installation will be higher than grid parity.

Of course, the solar industry is not alone is being a subsidized energy source. There is the Price-Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act that limits the nuclear industry to pay only the first $12.6 billion in damages from a nuclear accident. (The costs of the Japanese tsunami-nuclear disaster have dwarfed this figure.) Also the research performed by the Atomic Energy Commission, which was followed by the Energy Research and Development Administration, which was followed by the Dept. of Energy is paid for predominately or completely from federal taxes.

The oil industry has its three favorite deductions: (1) domestic manufacturing deduction, (2) a deduction for treating royalties paid to foreign governments as deductible taxes (sort of the opposite of the first deduction), and (3) intangible costs deductions. This list does not include the cost of foreign wars in oil rich nations, wars that might be regarded as trying to secure future oil supplies. The war in Iraq has been estimated to have cost about $1,000,000,000 U.S. dollars to date. Thus, the argument that the economics of solar energy should be computed on a non-subsidized basis would require that the costs for the competing energy sources such as nuclear and oil also be adjusted for subsidies, probably an impossible task. So the only realistic comparison is for each energy source at the final cost to the consumer.

boB

Re: Looking for a research topic regarding solar power applications

I think that our Washington state (Washington AC) incentives are good until at least 2019 or 2020.

boB

bmet

Re: Looking for a research topic regarding solar power applications

That is all political science, not electronics, which is what I believe the OP wants to focus.