Solar-driven non-stoichiometric thermochemical redox cycling of ceria for the conversion of solar energy into fuels shows promise in achieving high solar-to-fuel efficiency. This efficiency is significantly affected by the operating conditions, e.g. redox temperatures, reduction and oxidation pressures, solar irradiation concentration, or heat recovery effectiveness. We present a thermodynamic ...

Thermoelectric solar plants transform solar energy into electricity. Unlike photovoltaic plants, the sun’s energy heats a fluid (heat transfer fluid (HTF)) and this, in turn, exchanges its energy, generating steam. Finally, the steam generates electricity in a Rankine cycle. One of the main advantages of this double conversion (sun energy to heat in the HTF-Rankine cycle) is the fact that it fa...

An adsorption system driven by solar heat or waste heat can help to eliminate the use of ozone depletion substances, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydro-chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). In recent years, adsorption system has witnessed an increasing interest in many fields due to the fact that this system is quiet, long lasting, cheap to maintain and environmentally benign. Although adsorpt...

The global trends for the rapid growth of distributed solar heat and power in the last decade will likely continue as the levelized cost of production for these technologies continues to decline. To be able to compare the economic potential of solar technologies one must first quantify the types and amount of solar resource that each technology can utilize; second, estimate the technological pe...

This paper introduces a novel concept of mini-hybrid solar power plant integrating a field of solar concentrators, two superposed Organic Rankine -CyclesIORC) and a (bio)Diesel engine. Turbines for the Organic Rankine Cycles are hermetic scroll expandergenerators. Sun tracking solar collectors are composed of rows of flat mirroi bands (CEP) arranged in a plane, which focus the solar energy onto...

1. Renewable Wind and Solar Energies: The Context 1.1. An Economical and Environmental Necessity 1.2. Energy Definitions and Units 2. Basic Knowledge in Geophysics for Energy Resource Evaluation 2.1. Earth Energy Budget and Atmospheric Motion 2.2. Near Surface Wind 2.3. Impacts of Clouds and Aerosols on Surface Solar Radiation 3. Wind Energy Resource 3.1. Wind Energy: A Brief History 3.2. Wind ...

On the basis of the observational picture established in the report of Mason, von Steiger et al. (1999) the status of theoretical models on origin, injection, and acceleration of particles associated with Corotating Interaction Regions (CIRs) is reviewed. This includes diffusive or first-order Fermi acceleration at oblique shocks, adiabatic deceleration in the solar wind, stochastic acceleratio...

The climatological seasonal cycle of sea surface temperature (SST) in the tropical Pacific is simulated using a newly developed upper ocean model. The roles of vertical mixing, solar radiation, and wind stress are investigated in a hierarchy of numerical experiments with various combinations of vertical mixing algorithms and surface-forcing products. It is found that the large SST annual cycle ...