About this Research Topic
Solar radiation is an ample and most widespread renewable energy source on Earth; despite great progress on solar energy technologies, we are still able to use only a small fraction of this immense source of energy. There is indeed significant room to optimize current solar energy systems, such as photovoltaics and concentrated solar power technologies, to make significant difference to our planet. Assessment of solar energy resources and impactful developments in their effective conversion into useful forms of energy could effectively solve issues linked with fossil fuels by fulfilling our present and future energy requirements.
Solar energy systems can be standalone, or grind connected. Since solar irradiation is intermittent in nature, storage capabilities are required for both to dispatch energy on demand. To be effective to replace fossil fuel-based energy generation systems, which are now much more flexible than solar system, they must indeed be able to secure a continuous and cost-effective energy supply. In this context, the identification and optimization of key factors affecting performance in storage and distribution technologies can significantly improve the agility and overall quality of solar energy systems. Since the optimal sizing of solar energy systems mainly depends on the connected load profile and available solar radiations, the optimization and techno-economic analysis at both component and system level can play a major role in achieving continuous and cost-effective energy supply.
This Research Topic focuses on system level optimization by classical, metaheuristic, and hybrid optimization techniques as well as component level optimization of single components of photovoltaic and concentrated solar power technologies. Simulation based techniques considering new genuine ideas to improve the overall efficiency of solar energy systems are also welcome. This Research Topic encourages the submissions of new significant original research and review articles related, but not limited to, the following topics:
· New trends in optimization techniques for solar energy harvest, storage and distribution
· Techno economic analysis of solar energy systems
· Optimization of solar energy technologies
· Optimum sizing of hybrid solar energy systems
Keywords: Optimization, Hybrid-optimization techniques, Energy, Photovoltaic, Concentrated solar power, Techno economic analysis, Hybrid solar energy systems
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
