In recent years, several projects and studies have been launched towards the development and use of new methodologies, in order to assess, monitor, and support clean forms of energy. Accurate estimation of the available energy potential is of primary importance, but is not always easy to achieve. The present Special Issue on ‘Renewable Energy Resource Assessment and Forecasting’ aims to provide a holistic approach to the above issues, by presenting multidisciplinary methodologies and tools that are able to support research projects and meet today’s technical, socio-economic, and decision-making needs. In particular, research papers, reviews, and case studies on the following subjects are presented: wind, wave and solar energy; biofuels; resource assessment of combined renewable energy forms; numerical models for renewable energy forecasting; integrated forecasted systems; energy for buildings; sustainable development; resource analysis tools and statistical models; extreme value analysis and forecasting for renewable energy resources.

Solar Energy Forecasting and Resource Assessment is a vital text for solar energy professionals, addressing a critical gap in the core literature of the field. As major barriers to solar energy implementation, such as materials cost and low conversion efficiency, continue to fall, issues of intermittency and reliability have come to the fore. Scrutiny from solar project developers and their financiers on the accuracy of long-term resource projections and grid operators' concerns about variable short-term power generation have made the field of solar forecasting and resource assessment pivotally important. This volume provides an authoritative voice on the topic, incorporating contributions from an internationally recognized group of top authors from both industry and academia, focused on providing information from underlying scientific fundamentals to practical applications and emphasizing the latest technological developments driving this discipline forward. - The only reference dedicated to forecasting and assessing solar resources enables a complete understanding of the state of the art from the world's most renowned experts. - Demonstrates how to derive reliable data on solar resource availability and variability at specific locations to support accurate prediction of solar plant performance and attendant financial analysis. - Provides cutting-edge information on recent advances in solar forecasting through monitoring, satellite and ground remote sensing, and numerical weather prediction.

The book “Assessment of Renewable Energy Resources with Remote Sensing" focuses on disseminating scientific knowledge and technological developments for the assessment and forecasting of renewable energy resources using remote sensing techniques. The eleven papers inside the book provide an overview of remote sensing applications on hydro, solar, wind and geothermal energy resources and their major goal is to provide state of art knowledge to contribute with the renewable energy resource deployment, especially in regions where energy demand is rapidly expanding. Renewable energy resources have an intrinsic relationship with local environmental features and the regional climate. Even small and fast environment and/or climate changes can cause significant variability in power generation at different time and space scales. Methodologies based on remote sensing are the primary source of information for the development of numerical models that aim to support the planning and operation of an electric system with a substantial contribution of intermittent energy sources. In addition, reliable data and knowledge on renewable energy resource assessment are fundamental to ensure sustainable expansion considering environmental, financial and energetic security.

This book constitutes revised selected papers from the 4th ECML PKDD Workshop on Data Analytics for Renewable Energy Integration, DARE 2016, held in Riva del Garda, Italy, in September 2016. The 11 papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected for inclusion in this book and handle topics such as time series forecasting, the detection of faults, cyber security, smart grid and smart cities, technology integration, demand response and many others.

This book covers major technological advancements in, and evolving applications of, thermal and photovoltaic solar energy systems. Advances in technologies for harnessing solar energy are extensively discussed, with topics including the fabrication, compaction and optimization of energy grids, solar cells and panels. Leading international experts discuss the applications, challenges and future prospects of research in this increasingly vital field, providing a valuable resource for all researchers working in this field.

Power Systems Operation with 100% Renewable Energy Sources combines fundamental concepts of renewable energy integration into power systems with real-world case studies to bridge the gap between theory and implementation. The book examines the challenges and solutions for renewable energy integration into the transmission and distribution grids, and also provides information on design, analysis and operation. Starting with an introduction to renewable energy sources and bulk power systems, including policies and frameworks for grid upgradation, the book then provides forecasting, modeling and analysis techniques for renewable energy sources. Subsequent chapters discuss grid code requirements and compliance, before presenting a detailed break down of solar and wind integration into power systems. Other topics such as voltage control and optimization, power quality enhancement, and stability control are also considered. Filled with case studies, applications and techniques, Power Systems Operation with 100% Renewable Energy Sources is a valuable read to researchers, students and engineers working towards more sustainable power systems. - Explains Volt/Var control and optimization for both transmission grid and distribution - Discusses renewable energy integration into the weak grid system, along with its challenges, examples, and case studies - Offers simulation examples of renewable energy integration studies that readers will perform using advanced simulation tools - Presents recent trends like energy storage systems and demand responses for improving stability and reliability

This book is designed for professionals involved in the planning and development of green hydrogen projects. It provides a comprehensive guide to assessing the renewable energy resources required for green hydrogen production, including wind, solar, and hydropower potential. The book covers various resource assessment techniques, such as site surveys, data analysis, and modeling tools. It also discusses the factors affecting the feasibility and economics of green hydrogen projects, such as land availability, grid connectivity, and water resources. The guide provides best practices and case studies to help developers optimize the design and implementation of green hydrogen projects.

After decades of research and development, concentrating solar thermal (CST) power plants (also known as concentrating solar power (CSP) and as Solar Thermal Electricity or STE systems) are now starting to be widely commercialized. Indeed, the IEA predicts that by 2050, with sufficient support over ten percent of global electricity could be produced by concentrating solar thermal power plants. However, CSP plants are just but one of the many possible applications of CST systems. Advances in Concentrating Solar Thermal Research and Technology provides detailed information on the latest advances in CST systems research and technology. It promotes a deep understanding of the challenges the different CST technologies are confronted with, of the research that is taking place worldwide to address those challenges, and of the impact that the innovation that this research is fostering could have on the emergence of new CST components and concepts. It is anticipated that these developments will substantially increase the cost-competiveness of commercial CST solutions and reshape the technological landscape of both CST technologies and the CST industry. After an introductory chapter, the next three parts of the book focus on key CST plant components, from mirrors and receivers to thermal storage. The final two parts of the book address operation and control and innovative CST system concepts. - Contains authoritative reviews of CST research taking place around the world - Discusses the impact this research is fostering on the emergence of new CST components and concepts that will substantially increase the cost-competitiveness of CST power - Covers both major CST plant components and system-wide issues

Free to download eBook on Practical Solar Tracking Design, Solar Tracking, Sun Tracking, Sun Tracker, Solar Tracker, Follow Sun, Sun Position calculation (Azimuth, Elevation, Zenith), Sun following, Sunrise, Sunset, Moon-phase, Moonrise, Moonset calculators. In harnessing power from the sun through a solar tracker or solar tracking system, renewable energy system developers require automatic solar tracking software and solar position algorithms. On-axis sun tracking system such as the altitude-azimuth dual axis or multi-axis solar tracker systems use a sun tracking algorithm or ray tracing sensors or software to ensure the sun's passage through the sky is traced with high precision in automated solar tracker applications, right through summer solstice, solar equinox and winter solstice. Eco Friendly and Environmentally Sustainable Micro Combined Solar Heat and Power (m-CHP, m-CCHP, m-CHCP) with Microgrid Storage and Layered Smartgrid Control towards Supplying Off-Grid Rural Villages in developing BRICS countries such as Africa, India, China and Brazil. Off-grid rural villages and isolated islands areas require mCHP and trigeneration solar power plants and associated isolated smart microgrid solutions to serve the community energy needs. This article describes the development progress for such a system, also referred to as solar polygeneration. The system includes a sun tracker mechanism wherin a parabolic dish or lenses are guided by a light sensitive mechanique in a way that the solar receiver is always at right angle to the solar radiation. Solar thermal energy is then either converted into electrical energy through a free piston Stirling, or stored in a thermal storage container. The project includes the thermodynamic modeling of the plant in Matlab Simulink as well as the development of an intelligent control approach that includes smart microgrid distribution and optimization. The book includes aspects in the simulation and optimization of stand-alone hybrid renewable energy systems and co-generation in isolated or islanded microgrids. It focusses on the stepwise development of a hybrid solar driven micro combined cooling heating and power (mCCHP) compact trigeneration polygeneration and thermal energy storage (TES) system with intelligent weather prediction, weak-ahead scheduling (time horizon), and look-ahead dispatch on integrated smart microgrid distribution principles. The solar harvesting and solar thermodynamic system includes an automatic sun tracking platform based on a PLC controlled mechatronic sun tracking system that follows the sun progressing across the sky. An intelligent energy management and adaptive learning control optimization approach is proposed for autonomous off-grid remote power applications, both for thermodynamic optimization and smart micro-grid optimization for distributed energy resources (DER). The correct resolution of this load-following multi objective optimization problem is a complex task because of the high number and multi-dimensional variables, the cross-correlation and interdependency between the energy streams as well as the non-linearity in the performance of some of the system components. Exergy-based control approaches for smartgrid topologies are considered in terms of the intelligence behind the safe and reliable operation of a microgrid in an automated system that can manage energy flow in electrical as well as thermal energy systems. The standalone micro-grid solution would be suitable for a rural village, intelligent building, district energy system, campus power, shopping mall centre, isolated network, eco estate or remote island application setting where self-generation and decentralized energy system concepts play a role. Discrete digital simulation models for the thermodynamic and active demand side management systems with digital smartgrid control unit to optimize the system energy management is currently under development. Parametric simulation models for this trigeneration system (polygeneration, poligeneration, quadgeneration) are developed on the Matlab Simulink and TrnSys platforms. In terms of model predictive coding strategies, the automation controller will perform multi-objective cost optimization for energy management on a microgrid level by managing the generation and storage of electrical, heat and cooling energies in layers. Each layer has its own set of smart microgrid priorities associated with user demand side cycle predictions. Mixed Integer Linear Programming and Neural network algorithms are being modeled to perform Multi Objective Control optimization as potential optimization and adaptive learning techniques.