In the past decade, there has been a substantial increase of grid-feeding photovoltaic applications, thus raising the importance of solar electricity in the energy mix. This trend is expected to continue and may even increase. Apart from the high initial investment cost, the fluctuating nature of the solar resource raises particular insertion problems in electrical networks. Proper grid managing demands short- and long-time forecasting of solar power plant output. Weather modeling and forecasting of PV systems operation is focused on this issue. Models for predicting the state of the sky, nowcasting solar irradiance and forecasting solar irradiation are studied and exemplified. Statistical as well as artificial intelligence methods are described. The efficiency of photovoltaic converters is assessed for any weather conditions. Weather modeling and forecasting of PV systems operation is written for researchers, engineers, physicists and students interested in PV systems design and utilization. “p>

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.

Photovoltaics, among the different renewable energy sources (RES), has become more popular. In recent years, however, many research topics have arisen as a result of the problems that are constantly faced in smart-grid and microgrid operations, such as forecasting of the output of power plant production, storage sizing, modeling, and control optimization of photovoltaic systems. Computational intelligence algorithms (evolutionary optimization, neural networks, fuzzy logic, etc.) have become more and more popular as alternative approaches to conventional techniques for solving problems such as modeling, identification, optimization, availability prediction, forecasting, sizing, and control of stand-alone, grid-connected, and hybrid photovoltaic systems. This Special Issue will investigate the most recent developments and research on solar power systems. This Special Issue “Computational Intelligence in Photovoltaic Systems” is highly recommended for readers with an interest in the various aspects of solar power systems, and includes 10 original research papers covering relevant progress in the following (non-exhaustive) fields: Forecasting techniques (deterministic, stochastic, etc.); DC/AC converter control and maximum power point tracking techniques; Sizing and optimization of photovoltaic system components; Photovoltaics modeling and parameter estimation; Maintenance and reliability modeling; Decision processes for grid operators.

Fault detection, control, and forecasting have a vital role in renewable energy systems (Photovoltaics (PV) and wind turbines (WTs)) to improve their productivity, ef?ciency, and safety, and to avoid expensive maintenance. For instance, the main crucial and challenging issue in solar and wind energy production is the volatility of intermittent power generation due mainly to weather conditions. This fact usually limits the integration of PV systems and WTs into the power grid. Hence, accurately forecasting power generation in PV and WTs is of great importance for daily/hourly efficient management of power grid production, delivery, and storage, as well as for decision-making on the energy market. Also, accurate and prompt fault detection and diagnosis strategies are required to improve efficiencies of renewable energy systems, avoid the high cost of maintenance, and reduce risks of fire hazards, which could affect both personnel and installed equipment. This book intends to provide the reader with advanced statistical modeling, forecasting, and fault detection techniques in renewable energy systems.

Modern power systems are affected by many sources of uncertainty, driven by the spread of renewable generation, by the development of liberalized energy market systems and by the intrinsic random behavior of the final energy customers. Forecasting is, therefore, a crucial task in planning and managing modern power systems at any level: from transmission to distribution networks, and in also the new context of smart grids. Recent trends suggest the suitability of ensemble approaches in order to increase the versatility and robustness of forecasting systems. Stacking, boosting, and bagging techniques have recently started to attract the interest of power system practitioners. This book addresses the development of new, advanced, ensemble forecasting methods applied to power systems, collecting recent contributions to the development of accurate forecasts of energy-related variables by some of the most qualified experts in energy forecasting. Typical areas of research (renewable energy forecasting, load forecasting, energy price forecasting) are investigated, with relevant applications to the use of forecasts in energy management systems.

The Afro-European Conference for Industrial Advancement (AECIA) brought together the foremost experts and excellent young researchers from Africa, Europe and the rest of the world to disseminate the latest results from various fields of engineering, information and communication technologies. This volume gathers the carefully selected papers from the third installment of the AECIA, which was held in Marrakech, Morocco from November 21 to 23, 2016. The papers address important topics like Automation Systems, Intelligent Techniques and Algorithms, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Applications in Engineering, Control, Optimization and Processing, as well as manufacturing-related topics. As such, it offers a valuable reference guide for researchers, students and practitioners in the fields of computer science and engineering.

This book compiles the refereed papers presented during the 2nd Flexible Electronics for Electric Vehicles (FlexEV - 2021). It presents the diligent work of the research community on flexible electronics applications in different allied fields of engineering - engineering materials to electrical engineering to electronics and communication engineering. The theoretical research concepts are supported with extensive reviews highlighting the trends in the possible and real-life applications of electric vehicles. This book will be useful for research scholars, electric vehicles professionals, driving system designers, and postgraduates from allied domains. This book incorporates economical and efficient electric vehicle driving and the latest innovations in electric vehicle technology with their paradigms and methods that employ knowledge in the research community.

This book presents methods for optimising the spatial and network configuration of solar radiation measuring stations. Various physical and mathematical models are demonstrated, which together with high quality measurements, provide the essential tools to generate and validate solar resource estimates to improve the mapping of solar resources. Each chapter deals with a specific topic, showing its methodology, and providing examples of how to apply these techniques with reference to current projects around the world. These topics include: · Radiometric measurement campaigns;· Equipment calibration, installation, operation, and maintenance;· Data quality assurance and assessment;· Solar radiation modelling from satellite images and numerical models;· Downscaling and kriging interpolation of solar radiation;· Simulation of electric solar power plant generation;· Solar radiation forecasting;· Applications of solar energy; and· Socio-economic benefits of solar energy. The contributors present the statistical and physical models needed to derive solar radiation from satellite images and numerical models, emphasising the importance of measuring solar radiation accurately. They also show the classical models used to generate synthetic data, clear sky models and ancillary air quality and meteorological data from different input sources. Solar Resources Mapping provides industry professionals with methodologies and tools to build solar irradiance maps for different applications. The book will also benefit students and researchers as it serves as a main technical reference, presenting the basic terminology and fundamentals for solar resource mapping that include methods for assessing measurement uncertainty.

This book offers a complete guide to designing Linear Fresnel Reflector Systems for concentrating solar radiation. It includes theoretical analyses, computational tools and mathematical formulae to facilitate the development, design, construction and application of these systems. In addition, the book presents a concise yet thorough treatment of the theory behind these systems, and provides useful and efficient calculation procedures that can be used to model and develop their practical applications. Along with the theoretical analyses provided in the book, the physical background is explained using mathematical formulae, illustrations, graphs and tables. Methods are presented for solving the non-linear mathematical systems that describe a significant variety of cases. In addition, MATLAB codes are supplied (both in the text and online). Consequently, readers interested in applying the methodology presented here will have all the source codes at hand, allowing them to easily expand on them by introducing appropriate modifications for their respective design configuration. Given its scope, the book will be of interest to engineers and researchers, who can use their scientific background to help them develop more energy-efficient Linear Fresnel Reflector systems. It will also appeal to students studying these systems for the first time, as it supplies a comprehensive overview of their theoretical analysis and applications.

Photovoltaic solar energy technology (PV) has been developing rapidly in the past decades, leading to a multi-billion-dollar global market. It is of paramount importance that PV systems function properly, which requires the generation of expected energy both for small-scale systems that consist of a few solar modules and for very large-scale systems containing millions of modules. This book increases the understanding of the issues relevant to PV system design and correlated performance; moreover, it contains research from scholars across the globe in the fields of data analysis and data mapping for the optimal performance of PV systems, faults analysis, various causes for energy loss, and design and integration issues. The chapters in this book demonstrate the importance of designing and properly monitoring photovoltaic systems in the field in order to ensure continued good performance.