Search results for "solar [dark matter]"
showing 10 items of 1267 documents
Direct exposure to solar radiation causes radial growth eccentricity at the beginning of the growing season in Robinia pseudoacacia
2020
Abstract Our study investigated the effect of stem temperature increase on xylem formation in Robinia pseudoacacia tree-trunks, caused by direct exposure to solar radiation. It is important to determine factors which may improve the concentricity of deposited wood tissue and intensify xylogenesis because a strong irregularity of wood tissue deposited in the radial direction in mature trees of R. pseudoacacia reduces the commercial value of the wood. Samples of vascular cambium along with adjacent tissues were collected from the southern (illuminated) and northern (shaded) side of tree-trunks growing in the inner and peripheral (thus exposed to direct sunlight) zones of the research plot. Sa…
Giant, unconventional anomalous Hall effect in the metallic frustrated magnet candidate, KV 3 Sb 5
2020
The anomalous Hall effect soars when Dirac quasiparticles meet frustrated magnetism.
Biorefinery process for hydrothermal liquefaction of microalgae powered by a concentrating solar plant: A conceptual study
2017
Abstract A conceptual analysis of coupling a concentrating solar power plant with a biorefinery process consisting in the hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of microalgae to biocrude was performed. The configuration of the CSP-HTL plant was designed to allow continuous operation considering 10 kT of microalgae processed each year using, for the first time, a ternary nitrate mixture as heat transfer fluid and storage medium in the temperature range of 340–410 °C. With adopted models, the capital and operating costs of the solar plant marginally affect the minimum fuel selling prize (MFSP) of biocrude that decreases with the size of the solar field and of the thermal storage system provided that…
Analysis of some renewable energy uses and demand side measures for hotels on small Mediterranean islands: A case study
2018
Abstract Tourist activity strongly influences the energy consumption and the overall load profile of communities with isolated energy systems. One example is hotel sectors on small islands that are not connected to mainland energy distribution grids. The use of solar energy systems could be a smart option for reducing energy consumption and tackling seasonal fluctuation. The operation of a weak and isolated electric grid requires attention to the management of power profiles in very short time frames. Energy storage (thermal or electric), as well as building automation control technologies, can be utilised for these aims. In this context, the present paper illustrates a study conducted at a…
A solar assisted seasonal borehole thermal energy system for a non-residential building in the Mediterranean area
2019
Abstract Solar heating and cooling systems are reliable and feasible solutions among renewable energy technologies. Indeed, solar thermal devices help reduce primary energy consumption and can reduce electricity demand, thus representing one of the best options for satisfying heating and/or cooling energy supply. The Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) represents one of the best promising option among the various storage technologies, because the size of the storage can be easily extended by drilling additional boreholes and simply connecting the pipes to the existing boreholes; the overall energy efficiency of this system is about 40–60%. In this paper, the authors present an applicatio…
Impact of accumulated dust particles' charge on the photovoltaic module performance
2016
Abstract This work is focused on analysing effect of accumulated dust particles' charge on PV module performance. In the Dundee University's laboratory, dust particles have been created through epoxy powder and charged by using corona and tribo-electric charging methods by varying the charge levels of the accumulated dust particles. The PV module output has analysed for finding a relation between charge levels of the accumulated dust particles and its output voltage. Obtained experimental results have shown that charge level of accumulated dust particles on PV module's have significant impact on its output and dust particle accumulations are not associated with panel tilt angle.
Solar and Heat Pump Systems for Domestic Hot Water Production on a Small Island: The Case Study of Lampedusa
2020
The achievement of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, related to energy and resource use, is a critical issue for small and insulated communities. In many minor islands, solar energy is not correctly exploited, and electrical heaters are connected to weak grids with very a high share of generation by fossil fuels. As a consequence, there is the necessity to assess the potential and the suitability of diffusion of alternative systems to avoid dependency on the electrical grid and reduce carbon emissions. This paper aims to evaluate the technical and economic performances of some alternative systems exploiting renewable energy for domestic hot water production. Four different syste…
Optimization of photovoltaic solar power plant locations in northern Chile
2017
The optimization of photovoltaic solar power plants location in Atacama Desert, Chile, is presented in this study. The study considers three objectives: (1) Find sites with the highest solar energy potential, (2) determine sites with the least impact on the environment, and (3) locate the areas which produce small social impact. To solve this task, multi-criteria decision analyses (MCDAs) such as analytical hierarchy process and ordered weighted averaging were applied in a GIS environment. In addition, survey results of social impacts were analyzed and included into the decision-making process, including landscape values. The most suitable sites for solar energy projects were found near roa…
Experienced Migratory Bats Integrate the Sun's Position at Dusk for Navigation at Night.
2019
Summary From bats to whales, millions of mammals migrate every year. However, their navigation capacity for accomplishing long-distance movements remains remarkably understudied and lags behind by five decades compared to other animals [ 1 , 2 ]—partly because, unlike for other taxa, such as birds and sea turtles, no small-scale orientation assay has so far been developed. Yet recently, bats became a model to investigate which cues mammals use for long-range navigation, and, surprisingly for nocturnal animals, sunset cues, and particularly polarized-light cues, appear to be crucial for calibration of the magnetic-compass system in non-migratory bats [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]. This does not appear to ho…
Polar solar panels: Arctic and Antarctic microbiomes display similar taxonomic profiles
2018
Solar panels located on high (Arctic and Antarctic) latitudes combine the harshness of the climate with that of the solar exposure. We report here that these polar solar panels are inhabited by similar microbial communities in taxonomic terms, dominated by Hymenobacter spp., Sphingomonas spp. and Ascomycota. Our results suggest that solar panels, even on high latitudes, can shape a microbial ecosystem adapted to irradiation and desiccation.