Proceedings from the International Conference on Hydro and Renewable Energy

In UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), it was proposed that India will achieve the target of renewable energy capacity of 500 GW through non-fossil fuels by 2030. In the year 2022, India has installed solar energy capacity of about 100 GW. The solar panels were utilized from the year 2011 for electric power generation. However, there is probability of a shortage of power from installed solar capacity if any faults present in the installed panels. The projected shortage of power influences the progress on solar energy targets proposed in COP26. Commonly, the power generation by the solar panels is affected by aging, deposition of dust, faults or crack defects, irradiance, climate change, orientation, and so on. In this proposed work, the crack defects and dust deposition in the solar panel are detected and monitored in Cloud platform. The irradiance, LDR output, orientation of the solar panel are given as inputs to the application. The database is created for storing the output power generated by the solar panel over a period of time for various irradiances and orientations. The data from the solar panel are acquired and sent to the system. The output power is compared with database for the given irradiation and orientation. If the deviation in output power is greater than 50% for the given irradiation during daytime with the validation of LDR output, then the presence of dust deposition is diagnosed. Then, the wiper with soft brush will be energized to clean the panel. The power spectral density (PSD) is calculated by applying Fast Fourier Transform for the vibration signal received from the solar panel. The presence of crack in the solar panel is detected by comparing the power spectral density of cracked solar panel with defect-free solar panel, and it is monitored online through Cloud platform. The spectrum of the cracked panels and crack-free panels can be accessed by the user in the display console. The application software is created using LabVIEW and it is simulated for various input conditions. It displays the fault status of the system through LED and pop-up message to the user. Web apps are created in Google Firebase for monitoring analytics. This system is tested with solar panels of 110 W oriented at 10° and exposed to the irradiation of 800 W/m2. The fault in the solar panels is monitored in Google Firebase which aids the concern authorities to take necessary corrective actions based on nature of faults. The proposed work demonstrates that continuous monitoring of faults in the solar panels will alert the utility authorities about potential shortages of power generation which is the barrier to achieve our targets proposed in COP26.

Conversion of the agro-residues into syngas using air–steam gasification provides a renewable route for hydrogen production from organic material. The study reports the experimental investigation on gasification of wheat straw into hydrogen-enriched syngas using air–steam gasification in a bubbling fluidized bed gasifier. The gasifier was operated at an atmospheric pressure gasifier with fuel processing capacity of 5 kg/h and used low-temperature steam for gasification mixed with air. The wheat straw of particle size 0.6–1.0 mm was used as a feed material for gasification, whereas different bed materials used were sand and olivine. In this study, the temperature was maintained at 800 °C during gasification and the steam-to-biomass ratio was varied between 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5, at a fixed equivalence ratio of 0.3. It was observed that hydrogen (H2) reached the maximum concentration of 7.44% for air gasification, which was enhanced to 13.27% at a steam-to-biomass ratio of 0.5. The highest H2 yield obtained was 0.29 Nm3/kg for the S/B ratio of 0.5 as compared to air gasification, which was about 0.15 Nm3/kg. The higher heating value of the syngas is ranged between 4.22 and 4.60 MJ/Nm3. As the steam used in the present study was lower temperature steam, the narrow steam-to-biomass ratio was used to take care of bed temperature; a more steam introduction at a lower temperature can reduce the reaction temperature, drastically disturbing the gasification process. The gas yield was increased from 2.03 to 2.21 Nm3/kg with an increase in steam-to-biomass ratio from 0.3 to 0.5, whereas a substantial increase in carbon conversion efficiency from 78.91 to 89.38% as the S/B ratio increased from 0.3 to 0.5 was observed. A bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) gasifier was found appropriate for the gasification of agricultural waste residues.

Microalgae are recognized as a prospective feedstock for biofuels production with minimal environmental impacts. Nonetheless, the cost of microalgae cultivation and adequate biomass availability conveys a significant dilemma. Microalgae cultivation in wastewater is noted to reduce biomass production cost to some extent. However, exploring wastewater having an appropriate set of nutrients and compatibility with the microalgae strain is indispensable to obtain adequate biomass. In the present work, considering the real-life applicability for biofuel production, studies were conducted to assess the potential of the selected microalgae strains to grow in primary, secondary, and tertiary treated municipal wastewater. The result showed higher growth for Chlorella pyrenoidosa in all three primary, secondary, and tertiary treated wastewater compared to that for Chlorella sorokiniana IITRF. Moreover, primary treated wastewater was noted to achieve the highest biomass concentration of up to 1.25 ± 0.13 g L−1 for C. pyrenoidosa within 9 d of the growth period. Overall, C. pyrenoidosa cultivation in primary treated wastewater is recommended to obtain adequate biomass for biofuel production.

This work is specifically based on the investigation and prediction of the performance behavior of hybrid line and point solar collector combinations. In the case of line type, cylindrical parabolic trough collectors (PTC) and cylindrical semi-parabolic dish solar collectors (SPDC) are carefully chosen and combined together. From earlier research studies, it is clearly stated that a parabolic trough is useful for medium-temperature applications and a dish is preferred for high-temperature applications because of its individual unique constructional and geometrical features. Both solar collectors have been analytically tested in relation to three variables: mass flow rate (0.002–0.005 kg/s), solar irradiance (300–900 W/m2), and heat transfer fluid inlet temperature (30–70 °C), respectively. The effects of these variables on collector overall efficiency, heat transfer fluid outlet temperature, and overall heat loss coefficient are estimated for individual solar collector cases. For PTC and SPDC, 17% and 13% maximum rises in thermal efficiencies are attained when operating at a lower value of inlet fluid temperature and a high amount of direct solar irradiation (700 W/m2), respectively. Analytically designed PTC provides a 42% higher thermal efficiency but a 48% lower heat removal rate and overall loss coefficient (FRUL) than SPDC, while the opposite condition occurs on the SPDC side, so the hybrid combination provides better thermal performance when operated together.

Energy crisis is one of the major concerns worldwide. Energy generation from solid waste is one of the most viable options due to the rise in generation of waste. Plasma pyrolysis is the emerging solution for the conversion of solid waste to energy. It converts carbonaceous solid waste to combustible gases in the near-absence of oxygen. It is a sustainable technology as it reduces harmful gas generation and produces clean energy without any considerable adverse effects on the environment. An equilibrium model has been developed to predict gas composition from solid waste using the plasma pyrolysis process in Aspen plus®. This non-stoichiometric model is developed with thermodynamic data using the minimization of Gibbs free energy. RYIELD and RGIBBS operations are used for yield distribution and equilibrium conversion, respectively. In this work, Polypropylene (PP) and Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) are chosen as feedstock. The composition of feed is taken from the available literature. Results of the model are compared to literature data for validation. From this model, H2, CO, CO2, and other gases generation from RDF is 14.88%, 66.33%, 15.56%, and 3.23%, respectively. The same from the literature are 13.8%, 65.5%, 14.2%, and 6.5%, respectively. The results show good comparability with the available literature. Moreover, from the sensitivity analysis, the effect of temperature is analyzed, which shows that with an increase in temperature, hydrogen production also increases. For different categories of solid wastes, the derived model can be used for the optimization of the process with different parameters.

Solar energy is the cleanest and most viable solution in energy generation process and contributes to the achievement of net-zero carbon emissions. Solar air heater (SAH) is a well-established technology to convert solar energy directly into thermal energy and used for low temperature applications. However, the performance is poor due to low convective heat transfer between absorber plate and air circulating inside the duct. The convective heat transfer can be improved by providing artificial roughness to the underside of the absorber plate. Different types and shapes of roughness geometries have been employed and investigated by various researchers. However, there is still scope to investigate the efficient roughness geometry. Keeping in this view, a V-shape corrugated and sine-wave corrugated geometry have been investigated in the present study. A 3D CFD analysis on the thermal performance of SAH having different parameters (wavelength, λ and amplitude of sine-wave, a) of corrugated shapes is investigated for different Reynolds number (Re). Based on fluid flow analysis, it is found that roughness geometry having sine-wave corrugation results in higher Nusselt number (Nu) and lower friction factor (f) in comparison to V-shape corrugated geometry.

A steady-state model of green ammonia production using hydrogen produced from Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) electrolysis has been developed using ASPEN Plus Simulation software. Since the ASPEN plus does not offer the facility to directly model electrolysis cells, Aspen Custom Modeler (ACM) is used to develop the PEM stack. Stack is based on semi-empirical equations describing cell voltage and water transport across the membrane. The power requirement for electrolysis is expected to come from solar energy. This model of the PEM electrolyzer is integrated with the ammonia production model in a single flowsheet. With a power input of 4.25 kW, the PEM stack with 26 cells produced 0.048 kmol/h of H2. The corresponding ammonia production utilizing the conventional Haber–Bosch reactor was simulated to be 0.026 kmol/h. Such a model is expected to assist in the future design and scale-up of green ammonia processes.

The purpose of this study is to explore and quantify the environmental impacts of recycling and reusing of materials used in manufacturing of electric motor required for electric vehicles (EVs). This study focuses primarily on the end-of-life and production phases of the electric machine used in the EVs. We have used carbon emission as an indicator of environmental impacts, with objective of reuse and recycle of materials required for EV motor and prevention of further environmental damage. We have compared emissions through the carbon embodiments of the materials that are used in fabrication of motor of EV, and then discussed possible methods of analysis of carbon emission reduction and primary steps on the journey to ideal reuse of materials in the EV motor.

Recent climate change has changed the perspective of the way power is generated. The use of fossil fuels is reduced and replaced with renewable energy technologies. Renewable generation is supported by the government; however, it brings issues to the existing power system due to its intermittency. Requires hybrid and energy storage technologies to overcome it. To increase the integration of renewable technologies, using them as distributed generation (DGs) in local grids is a very good initiative. This will not only generate cleaner, greener energy but also contribute to cost reductions in conventional generation capacity addition and defer transmission infrastructure costs. The hybrid DGs can be used to provide ancillary services like voltage support providing operating reserves. In this work, the cost of procuring energy and reserve by the distribution system operator (DSO) is minimized using the optimal power flow technique (OPF) in a small distribution system solved in MATPOWER 7.1. The distribution system considered is a modified 15-bus system with loads in 14 buses and DGs in 7 buses and having a substation. Four cases have been considered, two of which show the monopoly in the reserve market, and the other two show a reduction in emission in the distribution system and how the integration of renewable-based hybrid generation can contribute reduction in procuring energy from the substation, leading to cost minimization of distribution infrastructure.

In recent times, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool has become a virtual laboratory for the performance evaluation of systems. Computational modelling techniques can predict the performance of the hybrid hydrokinetic turbine (HKT) rotor effectively. Hence, a numerical investigation of a hybrid HKT rotor by adopting 2D and 3D CFD modelling techniques has been carried out. RNG k-ε turbulence model is considered for solving Unsteady Reynolds average Navier’s Stokes equations using ANSYS CFX solver. Based on numerical analysis, it is perceived that the power coefficient predicted by 2D and 3D models was found to have a minimum deviation at lower values of TSR. However, at higher values of TSR, the 2D model overpredicted the power coefficient compared to the 3D model. The numerical simulation results are compared with experimental data and it found that the 3D model is the best approach to validate the numerical results. Although, the computational time taken for 3D modelling was found to have eight times more than the time taken by the 2D modelling technique. However, the 3D CFD technique justifies the accuracy of the numerical solution. The justification of overprediction of the 2D model compared to the 3D model has also been examined by plotting different contour plots.

The extension of electric grid to the unelectrified hilly and remote areas is difficult and costly due to low load density and uneven terrain. Therefore, integrated renewable energy systems are emerging as an economically viable solution for electrification of such hilly and remote areas. This study presents a comprehensive study on different potential options for off-grid applications. Further, it presents a detailed analysis on the implementation of integrated renewable energy systems for off-grid applications. The barriers and challenges associated with implementation of integrated renewable energy systems are addressed in this paper.

The thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs) used in domestic as well as commercial buildings can be considered as distributed resources for regulation purpose. TCLs share a major part of the total power consumption and possess thermal inertia. This can be used for demand response and transactive energy process. Tapping of the potential of TCLs for power system regulation requires modeling in terms of its thermal dynamics. In this paper, a second-order TCL model is developed as an RC network equivalent. It includes modeling, aggregated control, parameter estimation, and response validation of TCLs in demand response and energy operation. Here, an upgraded model of aggregated TCL is recommended and its accuracy is improved for improving the grid regulation services. The setback time of compressor operation is considered here with the regulation signal to improve the aggregated behavior of the TCLs. To increase the life of compressors and to reduce the communication requirements, a probability control approach is proposed.

The structural properties of the gas diffusion layer such as permeability, tortuosity and pore diameter are found helpful in the mathematical modelling and optimization of fuel cells. This study investigates the structural modelling of the gas diffusion layer in view of a change in its pore diameter with the contact pressure at the interface of the gas diffusion layer and bipolar plate. Carbon cloth (ELAT LT 1400W) and gold-coated brass as a current collector are modelled using 3D dedicated modelling software packages. The SEM (scanning electron microscopy) fibrous structure is reconstructed by the elliptical seed-shaped structure of the yarns. The exponential decrement in pore diameter (47.26–38.79 µm) of the layer with contact pressure (0.1–0.5 MPa) is observed, leading to unfavourable effects on its transport properties as evident from the performance modelling of the cell.

The ability of electric vehicles (EVs) to serve as both flexible loads and mobile generators will make them a valuable asset in power grids, smart grids, and microgrids of future. The purpose of this study is to investigate these aspects in the context of a wireless power transfer in terms of vehicle to home (V2H), which can be considered in terms of a microgrid, and reports the considerable advantages for vehicle owner. In order to provide a full suite of V2H services, electric vehicle chargers will need to be upgraded to bidirectional power flow. As a result, it is crucial for these systems to account for the adjustments needed to supply power in both directions. This research paper compares the effects of the different states of the control signals in between primary and secondary H-bridge by looking at the EV's active and reactive power consumption and generation, respectively. Series-Series compensation is an important element in the area of wireless charging and it is the foundation of the control strategy. Based on the results of an analytical investigation, it seems that the controller can work with a wide range of active and reactive power setups in the wireless power transfer between primary and secondary side of converters.

Global energy demand has proliferated in the past few decades and it is likely to escalate in the future. This alarming situation has called for an alternative source of energy that is renewable and environment-friendly. Solar energy is abundantly available and renewable in nature and can cater to the balance of energy demand and supply. Due to the intermittent nature and of solar energy, there is a need to integrate efficient solar energy storage systems. In TES systems, sensible and latent heat storage technologies were later innovated into a novel combined sensible-latent heat thermal energy storage system. The experimental investigation has been performed using concrete balls and paraffin wax encapsulated with stainless steel as phase change material (PCM) capsules of the same size as sensible and latent heat storage media respectively. Under this present experimental study, emphasis has been given to the effect of the placement of PCM spheres inside the storage container. The experimental trials were performed on combined TES with a 20% volume fraction of PCM for two different positions of PCM. It was observed that keeping the flow rate constant at 0.025 kg/s and 0.032 kg/s while shifting the PCM from the middle to top of the tank resulted in an increment of total energy storage by 6% and 4% respectively simultaneously reducing the charging time by 8% and 7.5% respectively.

The inertia of the grid network determines the resiliency of a power system to combat a generation outage during a contingency. The resiliency and robustness of a grid network is determined from the kinetic energy lost during the arresting period of a contingency. The first novelty and the primary aim of the paper are to estimate the minimum kinetic energy gain corresponding to load losses of above 300 MW in India during the arresting period for different contingency durations incurred throughout the five regional grid networks of India respectively from PMU-frequency data situated in North-Eastern Regional Load Dispatch Centre (NERLDC), Power System Operation Corporation Limited, Meghalaya (POSOCO), India at the 1-s interval between December 2020 and January 2022. The other novelty and secondary objective of this paper are to investigate these generation gain contingencies to estimate the minimum inertial energy storage and minimum active power inertial reserve capacity for developing grid-scale hybrid inertial energy storage systems that can be integrated with renewable energy sources to provide an inertial response in low inertia systems at the advent of a contingency in the future. The load loss event will lead to generation gains in the grid network. These generation gains can be utilized to charge hybrid energy storage systems that can be discharged during inertial failures or to curtail peak demand in the five regional power systems of India, which way forwarded can be utilized to forecast and control generation gain outages more precisely.

Several studies show that Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems consume more than 40% of the total building energy. In order to reduce building energy consumption, it is necessary to optimize HVAC system energy consumption through proper design and operational strategy. The present study aims to do that by retrofitting a thermal energy storage (TES) system with an existing chiller plant located in an academic complex. In order to arrive at optimal design of the stratified chilled water TES, it is proposed to use a machine learning algorithm, using which the building cooling load can be predicted accurately based on the available plant data. The optimal design of TES involves analysis of various operating schedules based on the actual building cooling load and air conditioning plant capacity. By decision tree regression of power consumed with respect to load as percentage of chiller capacity, it was found that the existing chiller was operating at low load with low COP, also by K-Means clustering analysis these findings were proved right. Polynomial linear regression was used to find optimum chiller utilization capacity which in this case was at 56.4%. Results show that addition of TES can reduce the chiller energy consumption by as much as 14.2%. If one considers the Time-of-Day tariff, then the savings in energy cost can be much higher.

Decarbonization of the transport sector is an urgent need to combat the challenges of ever-increasing energy or fossil fuel demands, environmental emissions, and air pollution. Carbon pricing in transportation has emerged as an efficient instrument that can effectively reduce fossil fuel use. The present study investigates the long-term impacts of carbon pricing in the transport sector within passenger mode in India. GHG constraints are provided exogenously in the CO2 policy scenario, and the energy model calculates carbon tax accordingly. An integrated assessment model—the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM)—is used to develop a comprehensive transport energy model and analyze various parameters such as service demand, energy mix, and long-term CO2 emissions of India’s transport sector. The results indicate that the passenger transportation sector in India will remain strongly dependent on fossil fuels, and the share of four wheelers (4W) will rise more than 80% over the century without any significant policy interventions. However, after imposing the carbon price, the share of electricity will increase from 8 to 69% compared to the baseline scenario in the year 2070 while minor change occurs in model shift/service choice. Furthermore, the role of electric vehicles is expected to be the most effective mitigation option for achieving net zero by the year 2070. The study highlights that carbon pricing leads to the imposition of a very high carbon tax (178.33 1990$/tC, 1605.69 1990$/tC, and 1861.77 1990$/tC for year 2050, 2070, and 2100, respectively) to achieve the net zero emissions target. Furthermore, other policy intervention pathways need to explore along with carbon pricing.

Despite the number of electrification schemes in India, households in rural sectors at isolated locations do not have access to power due to the higher cost and intricacy of grid extension. All these issues can be addressed by utilizing locally available renewable energy resources. The objective of this study is to develop an integrated renewable energy system (IRES) design framework and to evaluate the techno-economic viability of potential IRES to provide electricity to remote rural hilly area. As a case study, Munsyari Tehsil of district Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand (India), has been considered and a thorough load-resource assessment is carried out for this area. Considering the estimated renewable energy sources, system size optimization and sensitivity analysis is performed on the SPV/HEP/BOG/BES in the MATLAB environment using the chimp optimization algorithm to meet peak-load demand. Based on the constraints of available land area and energy reliability, optimization results have been obtained. Results revealed that the system optimized with land constraint is 25% more cost-effective than the system optimized without land constraint, with a total life cycle cost of INR 51.365 million. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is performed, and it is found that the land area constraint has a significant impact on the system's energy reliability. The study findings will help policymakers, analysts, and planners of IRESs to pinpoint site-based design limitations and create effective IRES solutions in hilly remote rural areas.

Lot of potential is available in free-flowing streams, which can be tapped by using a hydrokinetic turbine (HKT) to help achieve net-zero carbon emission in the energy system. Among different types of HKTs investigated by various researchers, a cross-flow turbine is considered as most suitable device to harness the hydrokinetic potential in canal and riverine applications. Thus, the present study aims to numerically investigate various cross-flow turbines such as advanced Savonius, Darrieus and hybrid HKT rotors. In order to compare their performance, rotor of these turbines having the same diameter of 150 mm and number of blades as 3 under constant flow velocity of 1.0 m/s is considered. Based on 2D computational results, it is found that the performance of a hybrid rotor exhibited better performance as 109.15% and 24.78% greater than the Savonius and Darrieus rotors in terms of maximum power coefficient. Further, a hybrid rotor exhibited higher torque coefficients and smooth torque fluctuations than the other two rotors due to the distribution of drag and lift force equally at each azimuth position on turbine blades. The results of this study may be useful for further studies to deploy this technology in the field.

This work presents an indirect way to predict hourly PV power generation. Changes in solar irradiance significantly affect PV power output, although temperature changes have a relatively less impact. This study develops a hybrid model for estimating solar irradiance values using data analysis and machine learning techniques. On the other hand, the hourly temperature is predicted using a basic persistence model. Ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) breaks the original GHI series into several orthogonal subseries termed intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). A forecasting model based on an ML technique is developed to predict all the IMFs. This study compares two distinct learning-based ML models for solar irradiance and power forecasting, viz. artificial neural network (ANN): a neural network-based ML technique, and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost): an ensemble learning-based ML technique. Finally, the PV power generation is computed based on a mathematical model by utilizing forecasted solar irradiance and temperature values in Delhi, India. EEMD–ANN reported an improved forecast precision by reducing the RMSE and MAE by 15.86% and 17.81%, respectively, compared to the EEMD–XGBoost. The corresponding RMSE, MAE, and R2 score of EEMD–ANN in predicting hourly solar irradiance values are 38.93 W/m2, 26.47 W/m2, and 0.977, respectively.

Solar energy has great potential to meet energy demand of world. Solar energy is converted into electricity as well as thermal energy through PVT technology. This thermal energy is also used to food preservation as drying process. Drying process is a convoluted cycle where heat and mass exchange inside dried substance from its surface to the surrounding atmosphere by used transport mechanism. There are several methods to describe the behaviour of drying substance. Thin layer drying model is most important tool to describe mathematical modelling of drying process. In this paper, the experimental moisture ratios data have fitted to three drying models. The drying experiments have carried out on mint leaves with initial moisture content 88.5% (w.b.) and reduced its moisture content 10% (w.b.) with the use of triangular duct semi-transparent PVT system. Temperature achieved by hot air in the dryer have range of 40–62 °C. The coefficient of models has evaluated by three non-linear regression method in two spaces (hot air dryer, open sun drying) to find out the most suitable moisture ratio model. On the bases of Wang and Singh model, the value of statistical parameter R2, RMSE, and chi-square have obtained 0.999846, 0.006831 and 0.0000622, and it is applicable to predict moisture content of mint leaves during solar drying of mint leaves.

As the global energy demand observes a steady rise and the availability of natural resources becomes scarce, the need to find alternate ways to meet our requirements is paramount. India has recently committed to becoming net zero by 2070. Several studies have looked into the net zero energy concepts and retrofitting existing structures as potential answers to future energy challenges. This study emphasizes the importance of adopting the net zero policy at the urban planning level, using town planning schemes as a tool. The energy and water demand of town planning scheme number 45-Jahangirpura-Pisad, Surat, Gujarat, were examined and forecasted through this study from 2011 to 2051. As a hypothetical projection-based case study, population predictions based on the average of arithmetic, geometric, and incremental increase methods, and water demand forecasts based on the national standard of 135 lpcd for urban areas were used to understand the magnitude of savings at the neighborhood level. The town planning scheme, with a spatial area of 1.1 km2, and a population of 4057 as of Census 2011 indicated a decadal growth rate of 16.45% in connected energy load demand from 2009 to 2019, with a forecasted 166% rise from 2011 to 2051. The energy intensity for water demand was reported to have an average decadal growth rate of 250–300%, with a 286% estimated to increase by 2051. This study indicated that implementing net zero criteria for retrofitting existing structures and future development may save 2.26 GWh/year by 2051.

It has been suggested in literature that by reducing the incoming voltage at distribution feeder head or at the input to commercial facilities, significant electricity savings can be achieved. Such programs are normally called Conservation Voltage Reduction (CVR) programs. The evidence for such assertions is primarily provided in terms of empirical energy consumption data before and after the introduction of the CVR programs. However, such data-based analysis does not provide the physical explanation for the reduction in energy consumption because of CVR. In this paper a MATLAB-SIMSCAPE model of the refrigeration/air-conditioning cycle is developed whose compression stage is replaced by an accurate model of the compressor, whose speed can be changed manually, or using the model of an electric motor in an electric thermal simulation. Simulations performed using this model show that efficiency of the cooling process (measured in terms of the coefficient of performance or COP) increases with reduction in applied voltage, which explains the reduction in energy usage of cooling equipment under CVR that has been reported in literature.

Major economies of the world have initiated bold steps to achieve net-zero emissions. This decision is bound to revamp the power sector in the respective countries, as the energy sector is critical for attaining the decarbonization goals. As per IEA, there are two parallel paths for decarbonization of the power sector, one by using variable renewable as the foundation for the low carbon power generation and the second by complete electrification. Modernization of electrical power systems aims to reduce emissions by shifting toward clean energy mechanisms and energy-savings. Smart grids are the practical steps taken worldwide in decarbonizing the grid. Engaging the consumers and considering them as stakeholders is essential for the success of smart grids. This work presents a comprehensive review of consumer engagement studies in smart grids focusing on different case studies worldwide, processes involved in consumer engagement, and outcomes.

There is a global consensus that adopting renewable energy initiatives is the route to achieving net-zero emissions targets. While renewable energy systems can meet these targets effectively through blockchain deployment, primordial regulations and monopolistic frameworks are prevailing obstacles in decentralising such systems. Blockchain-enabled renewable energy systems are subjected to many industry-specific legal and regulatory challenges and barriers which inhibit blockchain proliferation. This Article traverses the foundational legal challenges, including the fragmented and incongruous network tariff methodologies, licensing requirements, and taxation schemes. It explores the lack of a comprehensive articulation of the roles and responsibilities of heterogeneous market actors engaging in blockchain systems. It also threads through the regulatory practices of certain countries with optimal blockchain technology readiness levels. This Article primarily draws on qualitative desk-based research by undertaking conceptual and explorative enquiries on the legal challenges surrounding blockchain-enabled renewable energy systems using primary and secondary data sources. In essence, identifying and exploring a plethora of regulatory gaps are key to enabling global regulatory shifts in the blockchain and energy fora.

The exponential growth in population and urbanisation is causing an increase in the number of high-rise and mid-rise buildings. The increased strain placed on available energy sources to fulfil the increased demand for electricity for buildings is being satisfied by fossil fuels. The combustion of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases and other pollutants into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change and global warming. On the other hand, building materials are responsible for a significant amount of energy and natural resource consumption. In recent years, an increasing number of buildings have begun meeting their energy needs through photovoltaics. In recent decades, photovoltaic panels have also been utilised as an environmentally friendly material. Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) refers to photovoltaic panels that are installed in a building and made an integral part of the building’s structure. BIPV has the potential to replace conventional building materials in a variety of building envelope components, including the roof, bay windows, and building exterior. BIPVs are superior to conventional building materials in terms of energy efficiency and durability. This article provides an overview of the contribution that BIPV can make as an alternative to conventional energy sources. In addition, the author explains how building integrated photovoltaic systems can contribute to achieving net-zero emissions.

The energy usage of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems is increasing with the increase in living standards in recent years, as these systems are consuming more than one-third of the total energy usage. Conventional air conditioning systems are energy expensive and also lead to global warming. Passive air conditioning systems using renewable energy methods are appreciated for achieving thermal comfort in building premises. Ground coupled heat exchanger system is a passive technology that can be used for lowering the cooling as well as the heating load of the buildings. This system exploits the thermal potential of the ground subsoil for attaining desired thermal comfort conditions. The aim of the present work is to review various analytical, simulation, and experimental studies that have been performed in the last few years to examine the different design and operating parameters for enhancement of the thermal performance of ground-coupled heat exchangers. The authors critically reviewed the effect of thermo-hydraulic parameters of the working fluid, pipe material and geometrical properties, and soil thermo-physical parameters on thermal performance. From a thorough review of considered articles, it is concluded that the integration of ground-coupled heat exchangers with promising design guidelines will be able to provide a promising answer for improving the building energy efficiency and achieving sustainable buildings with either net zero or nearly zero energy consumption. Finally, some recent studies are also briefly discussed that consider incorporating phase change materials to further improve the thermal performance and adaptation of ground-coupled heat exchanger system.

The purpose of the current study was to carry out an experimental evaluation of the performance and emission profile of a 10-kW water-cooled direct injection four-stroke single-cylinder diesel engine using diesel, B20 (80% v/v diesel and 20% v/v palm biodiesel), and HB20 (B20 at 55 °C preheating temperature) as a fuel. The performance and emission profile of an engine were evaluated in terms of exhaust gas temperature (EGT), brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC), brake thermal efficiency (BTE), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbon (HC), and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). During the experimental investigation, the engine was operated at constant loads (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%). Palm oil was used for producing biodiesel (B100) following transesterification using potassium hydroxide (KOH) and methanol (CH3OH). A separate external fuel preheating system was developed to supply preheated fuel to the engine at a specific temperature. This experiment determined a preheating temperature of 55 °C for B20 because, at this temperature, HB20 exhibited diesel-like viscosity and density. The engine performance and fuel characteristics (density and viscosity) were enhanced while emissions (CO and HC), excluding NOx, were reduced for HB20 (B20 at 55 °C) compared to non-heated B20. Preheating the biodiesel blend (B20) reduced the viscosity and density, which might improve the spray characteristics and atomization of fuel particles at a higher fuel inlet temperature. Due to this, better evaporation occurred, and a homogenous mixture was produced, which helped enhance the combustion reaction, resulting in better performance, better fuel combustion, and reduced emission except for NOx compared to the non-unheated biodiesel blend (B20).

Suspended sediment concentration, mineral composition, and morphology, i.e., size and shape, are some sediment properties that influence the hydropower industry and river sediment dynamics. The sediment has negative impacts in terms of reservoir sedimentation, abrasive erosion of hydraulic structures and hydraulic turbine components, and sediment deposition in cooling water systems. Sediment management is the major challenge that needs to be taken care of to minimize the negative impacts on the hydropower industry. One of the essential aspects of sediment management is sediment measurement. Over the years, sediment measurement techniques have advanced rapidly. These technologies are quick and cost-effective over traditional methods for measuring sediment properties. The present study is focused on the measurement technique of dynamic imaging processing using the combined approach of the scanning electron microscope and ImageJ tool. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential of such a combined approach in measuring sediment size and shape, then to apply data analytics tools to identify statistical patterns in datasets, and ultimately to supply an effective approach to characterize sediment.

The growing volume of solid waste, particularly municipal solid waste (MSW), is a major source of concern, especially in urban areas. The anaerobic decomposition of solid wastes in landfills produces biogases such as methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxides or commonly termed as Landfill Gases (LFGs). Global warming is caused by both carbon dioxide and methane, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report suggests that methane is more powerful (28 times) than carbon dioxide in terms of global warming potential. With the right equipment, methane has a tremendous potential for energy production, and significant amounts of energy may be recovered from it. In the present research, the most common model for predicting the methane emissions viz a viz LandGEM 3.02 was employed for the unmanaged Tiruppur municipal solid waste. The population estimates were forecasted using the selected growth coefficient for various years during the study period. Biogas generation has increased over time, would continue to rise until 2036, when the maximum amount of biogas was recorded with a production rate of 5.221 × 107 Mg per year. As seen in this study, Tiruppur’s highest productivity occurs one year after closure of the landfills and has huge potential for energy generation. The current research findings can be utilised to develop and measure the capacity of landfill methane extraction systems.

Solar photovoltaic systems installed in outdoor environments are susceptible to faults and partial shading, which leads to reduction in the maximum power generated. Fire risks and decreased system effectiveness emerge from the standard protection devices’ inability to identify line-line faults due to their non-linear properties. In this paper, a Multiclass Support Vector Machine (MSVM)-based fault identification algorithm is proposed to detect line-ground (LG), line-line (LL) faults and partial shading (PS). The P–V, I–V characteristics and the string current waveforms are analysed for LG, LL faults and PS conditions. Two features, impedance and alpha, are computed to detect the fault conditions. The Multiclass SVM-based classification algorithm is used to classify the dataset using One vs Rest classifier. The three different kernel functions are used to train the SVM that include linear, sigmoid and radial-basis function kernels. The performance of the proposed Multiclass SVM algorithm is experimentally tested using a 1.6 kW, 44 photovoltaic solar PV array.

In this research, a suitable off-grid solar photovoltaic, wind turbine, lead-acid battery, and hydrogen tank-based hybrid system are developed to produce renewable energy to meet the end-user load electricity requirements in the northern Indian states. This research assesses the capability of hydrogen systems to use (in fuel cells) excess renewable power produced and store it (as compressed hydrogen). Four scenarios were examined to determine the best combination of energy technologies to satisfy the load demands of a microgrid in Lucknow, India. The HOMER application simulates and models the hybrid energy system. This study examines the efficiency of a hybrid renewable energy system for a household load demand of 52.00 kWh/day with a peak capacity of 11.04 kW. The best optimal system is obtained by combining a 10 kW hydrogen tank, 10 kW electrolyzer, 13.9 kW solar PV, 51 kWh lead-acid battery, 9.93 kW converter, 10 kW fuel cell, and 9 kW wind turbine. The cost of energy (COE) and total net present cost (NPC) with a 100% renewable fraction are $0.241/kWh and $85,691, respectively. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the design’s resilience to cost, fuel cell, and electrolyzer uncertainties. The simulation findings demonstrated that a hydrogen battery-based microgrid reduced the levelized energy cost and the overall net present cost. With low energy generating costs and the ability to aid in carbon reduction efforts, the suggested hybrid power system can be installed in a freestanding microgrid system that is entirely dependent on renewable energy.

Torrefaction uses heat in a controlled reactor to enhance the qualities of raw biomass, which has limited applications. Torrefied biomass has superior qualities over raw biomass, making it an effective eco-friendly product. Paddy straw has more hemicellulose than softwood, making it a strong candidate for torrefaction. Paddy straw and stubble burning emits trace gases and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), which harm the environment and human health. In this research, paddy straw samples from nearby agricultural fields are torrefied in an auger-based continuous reactor under the oxidative conditions. The reactor is operated at varying residence durations (15–30 min) and air-biomass equivalence ratios (ER) to improve production and quality. The physical and chemical properties of raw and torrefied biomass are evaluated and compared. The pH of raw biomass is found to improve by about 0.9 units, EC increased by about 5 times, and calorific value increased by about 1.3 times, upon torrefaction. This study is conducive to establishing the use of oxidative torrefaction as a sustainable technology for the management of agro-waste.

In storage of fruits and vegetables, temperature and humidity are important factors which affect nutritional value of fresh commodities. There are different technologies like cold storages, forced air cooling, hydro cooling, evaporative cooling, night air ventilation, controlled atmosphere and modified atmosphere to maintain the quality of fruits and vegetables and to prolong its shelf life. Cold storages, controlled atmosphere and modified atmosphere are the more effective techniques among the ones mentioned above, but cost of these technologies is high which makes them non-affordable to marginal farmers. Evaporative cooling is an old, economical, energy efficient and sustainable technology for the small farmers in hot and dry climate for the storage of fresh commodities. In this review paper, working principle, advantages and limitations, research achievements of different evaporative cooling system have been discussed. Effectiveness or efficiency of evaporative cooling can be increased by optimizing the fan speed, changing the cooling pad material and thickness, optimizing the water flow rate and controlling the system on/off operations according to climate conditions. With the evaporative cooling, it is possible to reduce the temperature by 5–12 and increase the relative humidity above the ambient humidity by 14% which helps to maintain the freshness of commodities. With developments in evaporative cooling, in the near future, energy consumption can be reduced and the possibility of energy efficient storing of the farm fresh horticultural commodities at farm level in tropical and subtropical regions could turn into reality.

The growing population faces two critical challenges: sustainable energy production and wastewater treatment. In this aspect, microalgae represent a renewable energy source since they have a significant potential to treat nutrient-rich wastewater and produce enormous amounts of biomass, which can produce biofuels. Microalgae convert solar energy into carbon sequestration products, leading to the accumulation of lipids (triacylglycerols), which may be turned into biodiesel and bioethanol. In addition, hydroponics technologies are gaining popularity as they produce a high crop yield in a short duration. However, some of the nutrients remain unutilized and end up with surface water effluent. Hydroponics effluents contain large amounts of residual nutrients that need to be treated before safe discharge. Further, microalgal-based hydroponics effluent treatment, along with resource recovery, could be a promising technique to resolve the current challenges in a sustainable manner. Hence, the current paper focuses on the latest studies on hydroponics effluent treatment and discusses an overview of an integrated approach using microalgae-based hydroponics effluent treatment along with bioenergy generation.

Wind energy can play an important role in fulfilling the world’s energy needs. It is one of the renewable energy sources which is environmentally friendly, freely available, and sustainable in nature. Wind speed (WS) is the parameter based on the potential at a site is determined. It has a significant influence on wind energy output due to the cubic relationship between wind speed and power. Even a small variation in wind speed may have a huge impact on power generation. Therefore, it is necessary to measure wind speeds with high accuracy in order to assess the wind resources as accurately as possible for a given site. Various assessment methods are available in the literature; however, their accuracy is still under debate. The Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) model is considered one of the efficient methods to estimate the renewable energy potential under atmospheric variables. However, this method has not been used to estimate the wind potential in Indian context. This study presents an investigation to assess the wind potential using NWP model for a selected study area in the Southern region of Andhra Pradesh in India. An NWP based model has been developed considering the wind power density, wind direction, and wind shear analysis in the range of wind speed considered for the area. Based on the simulations, it has been found that the average monthly wind power density varies from 43 to 510 W/m2 correspond to monthly average WS of 6 m/s in the area. Based on wind rose diagrams analysis, the most likely wind direction is evaluated as Southwest. The results of the present study can be useful to determine the optimal design of wind farms in the study area.

Renewable energy resources (solar, wind, hydro, etc.) are highly intermittent. The nature of the available renewable resources affects the availability and economics of renewable power systems since the resource determines the quantity and the timings of renewable power generation. It is essential to characterize the availability of renewable energy resources before making any investment. An accurate estimation of renewable energy resources is the foremost requirement for the robust and reliable design and development of renewable-based hybrid energy systems. In this perspective, under the present study, solar and wind resource potential assessment is conducted to meet the load demand for a cluster of ten villages in Uttarakhand (India). Based on the potential assessment, it was found that solar energy is available in each month of a year, with total annual solar radiation on inclined surfaces estimated to be equal to 2148 kWh/m2/year. Further, uncertainty in estimated solar potential was analyzed using a triangular distribution. The mean average wind power density was found to be 16.1 W/m2 which represents poor wind resource availability.

This research study simulates a water wheel using the finite volume method in Ansys fluent. A water wheel is a device that harvests energy from streams, open channels, and rivers. Water wheels were traditionally made of wood; however, the availability of new materials, specifically wrought iron, and the increasing demand for mechanical power through highly efficient systems during the industrial revolution period resulted in the rational design of water wheels with significantly improved performance and efficiency. Water wheel converts kinetic energy in water into rotational energy, which is then used to generate electric energy or as shaft power for a variety of applications. Water wheels have long been employed in mills, textile mills, and machine shops as a source of mechanical power. Water wheel conceptions and manufacturing processes evolved over time; by the end of the nineteenth century, technological breakthroughs in turbines had led to the discontinuation of water wheel development. As a consequence of revived interest in renewable energy and local and smart electricity production, water wheels are being re-considered as a clean and accessible alternative for micro power generation from water, particularly in regions with extremely low heads. Water wheels have various advantages over turbines, it is eco-friendly, easier to build, operate, and maintain, requiring less investment, and being more people friendly. However, the number of water wheel experiments has been very limited, and there is still a lot of ambiguity regarding their ideal operating conditions and performance characteristics. An undershot water wheel with 24 blades, uniformly distributed around the perimeter of a 12 ft diameter metal rim, placed in an open channel is employed for the simulation. The water wheel is an experimental facility that Uttarakhand Jal Vidyuth Nigam developed on a water channel that draws water from the Song River flowing close to Raipur, Dehradun, to lift water up to 90 feet for agricultural uses. The water wheel is attached to a reduction gearbox through a propeller shaft and to a multistage pump via a belt drive to transfer power from the water wheel to the pump. Multiphase flow is taken into account in the analysis since the water wheel is always in contact with both air and water. The purpose of this study is to determine the system torque, pressure, and velocity distribution acting on the water wheel blades, and changes in the flow regime upstream and downstream of the water wheel for a range of water flow rates. This study provides an opportunity to comprehend the elements influencing the water wheel’s capacity to extract power as well as its cut-in and cut-out speeds for safe operations. Additionally, the simulation data will serve as a baseline for future research to develop a robust water lifting method using a water wheel.

To capture the hydropower, new technologies are being developed as the majority of the conventional hydropower sites have previously been investigated. Potential energy and kinetic energy are the two different types of hydro energy. A variety of techniques, including oscillating hydrofoils and hydrokinetic turbines, have been devised to capture the kinetic energy of flowing water. Researchers are currently paying more attention to hydrokinetic turbines. To decide a suitable turbine for a specific site is a challenging task. A methodology is presented to decide a suitable turbine for the site by determining the number of turbines that can be arranged on the site and net power generation. In the pre-sent study, the hydrokinetic power generation capacity of 1.0 km span of Sarda River, Uttar Pradesh, India, has been determined. Three different types of turbine, Savonius turbine, Darrieus turbine, and hybrid turbine, are considered for installation in multiple numbers. The turbines are arranged optimally in the site by wake recovery concept. The net power generation by multiple number of Savonius turbine, Darrieus turbine, and hybrid turbine is obtained as 25.1 kW, 19.9 kW, and 21.4 kW respectively. Consequently, from a technical point of view, the Savonius turbine is more suitable compared to other turbines. The current methodology can be implemented to decide the appropriate turbine and quickly assess the hydrokinetic power generation capacity of rivers and canals.

India is the second largest producer of foods, fruits, and vegetables; however, sadly, our country loses 20% of its food due to improper farming, post-harvest handling, storage, and transportation. A food preservative is one of the ways which can be used to minimize food wastage. Preservation usually involves preventing the growth of bacteria, fungi (such as yeasts), and other microorganisms, maintaining or creating nutritional value, texture, and flavor. Drying is the phase of the post-harvest system during which the product is rapidly dried until it reaches the “safe-moisture” level. The aim of drying is to lower the moisture content of the grain for safe storage and further processing. The solar food dehydrator is the device that we can rely on for the preservation of food to reduce wastage.

In this paper, basic concept of the electrical vehicle is a less or zero-emission vehicle and the vehicle to grid technology is a grid stabilization. Electric Vehicle (EVs) creates a new era in the automobile sector. Conventional vehicles run on the Internal Combustion (IC) Engine. This IC Engine is powered by the burning of crude oils such as petrol, diesel, etc. The burning of fossil fuels emits toxic substances into the environment such as carbon-di-oxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), etc. The majority of the world’s petroleum products are burnt by the automobile sector. Carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) are the two main greenhouse gases (GHG) responsible for the greenhouse effects. According to the current statistics, in India, conventional vehicles emit particulate matter (PM2.5) nearly 20–30% yearly 290 gigagrams of particulate matter (PM2.5). Along with this, about 8% of greenhouse gas (GH G) is emitted by the transportation sector which is exceeded 30% in Delhi. This pollution drives us to move toward negative emission technology, and from here, EV concept is introduced. Pure EV is a zero-emission vehicle. Some electric vehicle works along with the IC Engine this is named Hybrid Electric Vehicle. There are different types of electric vehicles (EVs) (1) Hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), (2) Plugged in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), (3) Battery electric vehicle (BEV). Among all three types of battery, electric vehicle (BEVs) fully depends upon the high-capacity rechargeable battery pack. Other types of vehicles are fuel cell vehicles (FCV) and solar power vehicles. These vehicles not only reduce the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) but also reduce the dependency on fossil fuel in the transportation sector. When large numbers of EVs are connected to the grid by the charging station for charging the battery during the peak-load period then there is a certain possibility of grid destabilization. To solve this, problem the Vehicle to Grid (V2G) technology concept has been introduced. When the EVs are parked in the parking lot during the peak demand period then with the help of a charge controller the extra stored charge in the battery is fed back to the grid or the specified building to supply the excess power during the peak period. During the off-peak hours, the vehicle gets charged from the grid.

The demand for electricity is a major indicator of a country’s economic growth. Technological development and environmental factors significantly contribute to the increasing demand for electricity. In India generation of electrical energy is from thermal, hydro, nuclear, and renewable sources. The major contributor is thermal energy. Coal, oil, and gas are the main sources that are also called fossil fuels. The burning of fossil fuels emits CO2 and other pollutants. Since the industrial revolution, CO2 emission has increased drastically. But due to technological development, advanced power generation technologies, and a rise in per capita income, there is a rise in residential energy consumption too. The incorporation of renewable energy is the solution to reducing the use of fossil fuels for the generation of electrical energy, thereby lowering carbon emissions. But the integration of renewable energy into the existing grid is a challenge. Due to this, the security and reliability of the power system may be at stack. It is essential to understand the energy consumption pattern, region-wise. Many research studies have been presented, to determine energy consumption efficiency in urban cities, but the construction of a thermal energy map that shows land surface temperature (LST) for a specific urban city and energy consumption has not been considered. Therefore, this research generates a thermal energy map that shows the relation between temperature and energy consumption of Vadodara city in Gujarat. The thermal map (LST) is obtained from LSTSat8 data and energy consumption is determined by a fuzzy logic model with three linguistic variables that provide effective decisions to manage the electricity demand in four zones of Vadodara city. The thermal energy mapping can be replicated in developing countries for any region of similar climatic conditions. With this mapping, heat pockets and energy consumption can be studied, and policies can be suggested to reduce the electricity demand with proper planning management.

The hydro-energy plays an important role in power sector with zero carbon emission. This paper introduces hydrokinetic pipe turbine. The hydrokinetic turbine is used which is installed in the circular cross-section pipe. The head of 2–3 m is used to give sufficient momentum to water which is used to rotate the horizontally placed hydrokinetic turbine to generate power in the range 50–60 kW. In this type of turbine, a shock free flow blade profile is developed on MIXFLO software. The software provides features of varying stagger angle to get good blade profile and validation with pressure coefficient plot for shock free flow. In the study, the meridional blade region is varied which is equivalent to varying orientation of the blade of the turbine. The 0.5 m blade region gives better efficiency, so the turbine performance is evaluated by considering this region.

As the world witnesses extensive globalization, rapid growth, and a boost in various technology-oriented domains, the advent of the increase in global temperature increase has also been appearing inevitable. The concern for climate change has been kept in focus by India as well, for which the Government of India (GOI) has formulated a sizable amount of regulatory mechanisms and policies. Also, a set deadline has been designated for attaining the target pertaining to a transition to a green energy-oriented economy. The focus of this paper is going to discuss the net-zero frameworks instigated by the GOI in the broader light of climate change. The discussion revolves around the scope of policies, regulatory mechanisms, the establishment of industrial facilities such as carbon capture utility and storage (CCUS), and the significance of green transitions in certain economic sectors. The challenges which are faced while executing these policies on the ground have also been deliberated upon by giving a mention of trends of emission in India, and hence, the prospective solutions and measures which could help India accelerate its track for achieving the climate change targets are listed.

Non-renewable energy demands are increasing hour by the hour which cannot be fulfilled. However, the demands can be compromised through the advancements in renewable energy technologies. Electricity is the prime need for human beings. Most current conventional energy resources are depleting day by day, which is why we need to shift from conventional to non-conventional energy resources. Renewable energy such as solar and wind are very suitable due to their eco-friendly nature but are unreliable due to the stochastic nature of their occurrence. Renewable energy integration has attracted widespread attention due to its zero cost, cleanliness, availability, and ease of installation. In this regard, a study is performed through the fabrication of two energy resources, i.e., wind and solar energies to fulfil the residential demand for up to 10 kW. This process reveals sustainable energy resources without hampering the environment. Photo-voltaic is used for transforming solar energy, and wind turbines are used for transforming wind energy into electricity. This article discusses the design of a compact system comprised of solar and wind energies technology to harness the residential load up to 10 kW. Earlier the technologies used in this regard are quite successful, but this article would be a harbinger of the new evolution in the field of fabrication of wind–solar energy. The compact design will be fabricated through a set of PV arrays, a bladeless wind turbine (heart of the system), and MPPT solar and wind hybrid controller. In this projected system, maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques are harnessed for a generation. Here, in this research, constant voltage method is applied for the highest power transfer. This technology would increase the efficiency and stableness of the compact system. The whole design will be simulated through SAM version 2021.12.2 software. The simulation of the compact system will enlighten us about economic feasibility in comparison with the grid and diesel-powered energy methods. The article is also concerned about the affordable cost of electricity generation, without hampering the ecological balance. The overall system is fabricated as per the ecosystem of India, and seasonal variation and market acceptance are being closely cited for the best possible results.

Renewable energy systems are becoming increasingly popular for electricity generation because they are clean and can meet local electricity needs. They reduce network congestion and also lighten the load on conventional based power plants. Power quality issues have become increasingly important in grid-connected renewable energy systems like solar PV and wind energy-based systems over the past few decades, particularly due to their sporadic nature and the widespread usage of nonlinear electronics loads. With the advent of power electronic converters with powerful control technology, renewable energy systems can be interconnected to a large extent with the power grid or used as isolation systems in remote areas. Using more efficient control strategies can not only improve the performance of these systems, but also improve the quality of energy generated, distributed, and used at the load side of power system. Hence, this paper reviews various control strategies adopted for alleviation of power quality issues of solar PV and wind energy coordinated microgrid system, and further recommendations are provided to solve power quality issues as future research.

Climate change is a global concern, and countries worldwide have pledged to reduce anthropogenic carbon emission intensity to arrest global temperature rise. This paper focusses on the operational stage of residential buildings in India. It estimates the reduction in emissions caused by building operations when a grid-connected roof-mounted photovoltaic system (SPV) is used for decentralized energy production in residences. Building energy simulation and solar energy production model are employed simultaneously to assess emissions. A commercially available system is modelled for a residence with a usable floor area of ~ 70 m2. The building is modelled in three cities across India’s composite, moderate and hot-dry climatic zones. The methodology entails comparing the emissions associated with consumption in two modes, when the energy is (i) entirely sourced from the grid and (ii) primarily sourced from the SPV, the grid acting as backup. The results show that mitigating 67.8% (composite climate) to 91.3% (moderate climate) of total emissions is possible in the modelled household.

The present study proposes a distinctive solution to counter the development of hydroturbine blade erosion under the influence of silt-laden water stream by creating a partial air shield through air injection on the pressure surface of a hydrofoil. The multiphase interactions between incoming quartz particle-water suspension and injected air through a full-span slit positioned near leading edge of NACA 4412 hydrofoil is numerically investigated to identify the erosion wear behavior with and without air injection. To accurately predict the erosion distribution profile in the entrained external boundary layer regime, the Euler–Euler–Lagrange model is adopted along with the K-omega SST turbulence scheme. The initial simulations were carried out at a 20° angle of attack for water speeds ranging from 5 to 20 m/s and silt concentrations ranging from 1000 to 4000 ppm to study the silt erosion, and the results showed that the substantial erosion at the leading edge followed by minimal erosion on the bottom side of the guide vane. Further, the simulations were conducted over hydrofoil at angle of attack (AOA) 10° and 20° subjected to silt stream accelerating at a constant velocity of 5 m/s for varying injection rates ranging from 7.5 to 27.5 m/s, respectively. For realistic evaluation, the grain size samples were averaged experimentally and first three sizes were selected in relative proportions to form silt concentrations of 2500 and 5000 ppm. Moreover, to assess the sensitivity of erosion intensity on the guide vane, the air injection AOA was also varied at 30° and 90°. Results revealed that any incremental change in hydrofoil attack angle and ppm concentration is directly proportional to enhanced erosion rates and overall drag. The erosion rate intensity is found to be maximum on the leading edge which then decreases as the silt particles advances in the stream-wise direction after losing momentum during the first strike. An introduction of air injection then exhibits interesting insights, as the mitigation of particle trajectory is initially scattered in distinct horizontal patches up till a critical injection rate and later developed a vertical line-like distribution which is attributed to the rapid change in adverse pressure gradient. The predicted McLaury erosion rates and particle mass concentration were found to constantly decrease both in distribution locus and intensity at incrementing rates of injection. The aforementioned observations remained unchanged/showcased minimal change at different angles of injection, but the critical injection rate shifted to a higher value on increasing hydrofoil’s AOA. Almost 35% of hydrofoil surface is free from erosion pitting at critical injection rate, and about 70–85% surface region can be protected at higher injection rates as estimated numerically. This showcases effectiveness of air injection in attenuating erosion wear by forming a protective air blanket, and influencing particle trajectories at a small compromise of 6–9% decrease in overall pressure coefficient.

Renewable energy resources (solar, wind, hydro, etc.) are highly intermittent in nature. The nature of the available renewable resources affects the availability and economics of renewable power systems since the resource determines the quantity and the timings of renewable power generation. It is essential to characterize the availability of renewable energy resources before making any investment. An accurate estimation of renewable energy resources is the foremost requirements for the robust and reliable design and development of renewable-based hybrid energy systems. In this perspective, under the present study, hydropower potential assessment is conducted to meet the load demand for a cluster of ten villages located in the state of Uttarakhand (India), and the SCS curve number method based on daily rainfall data is applied. For a considered head of 5 m, the estimated electric power potential for catchment Zone-1, Zone-2, Zone-3, and Zone-4 was found to be 5.85 kW, 4.47 kW, 2.08 kW, and 4.63 kW, respectively. The feasibility of estimated power has been analyzed from the daily flow duration curves and is found to be as 38%, 39%, 40%, and 38% for Zone-1, Zone-2, Zone-3, and Zone-4, respectively. Further, the uncertainty in the estimated power was also analyzed due to variability in flow rate discharge.

In hydropower with high heads, the Pelton turbine is the most used impulse turbine due to its high efficiency. However, the efficiency of the power generation from the Pelton turbines depends significantly on the jet quality. One of the major reasons for poor jet quality is a misalignment of the needle and nozzle of the Pelton injector, as it results in deviation of the jet from its path. With an increase in the jet deviation, the quality of the jet further reduces leading to more power generation loss and vibration. In addition to the extent of needle eccentricity, the jet deviation also depends on the nozzle opening. Here, various needle eccentricities (0, 2, 5, and 8%) and nozzle openings (25, 40, 50, 65, and 90%) are considered to study their effects on the jet deviation, i.e., the jet quality numerically. For 40% nozzle opening, as the needle eccentricity increases from 2 to 8%, the injector efficiency is found to reduce by 13.56% and the deviation of jet center, measured at a distance of 2.32 times the nozzle diameter from the nozzle exit, is found to increase three times. Further, for 5% needle eccentricity, as the nozzle opening reduces from 50 to 25%, the deviation of the jet center increases two times. This study demonstrates the need for checking Pelton needle eccentricity, especially after maintenance.

Francis turbine is the most prevalent turbine in hydropower plants to generate electricity due to its wide range of operation. However, the part load efficiency of Francis turbine is poor. The performance of Francis turbine becomes critical under part load operation. Manufacturers rely on the efficiency of turbine available based on model testing results which are time-consuming and costly. In recent times, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are considered an effective tool for analyzing the hydraulic performance of turbines. In this paper, the performance of a Francis turbine has been investigated through CFD analysis under different load conditions using commercially available CFX code. The SST turbulent model is considered to capture the turbulent nature of water flow through the turbine passes. An attempt has also been made to validate the simulation results with the turbine manufacturer’s model testing results available in the literature. The simulation results of this study will be useful as the basis to investigate the performance under various operating conditions of a Francis turbine in future studies.

Pumped storage hydropower plants are the most reliable and extensively used alternative for large-scale energy storage globally. Pumped storage technology can be used to address the wide range of difficulties in the power industries, including permitting thermal power plants to run at peak efficiency, energy balancing, giving operational flexibility and stability to the power grid, and much needed assistance for intermittent solar and wind generation. Considering the intermittent nature of renewable energy, pumped storage facilities are becoming increasingly important as a means of storing the energy, which may otherwise threaten the stability and security of the power grid. An overview of the pumped storage hydropower plants market in India is presented here, along with a discussion on the necessity to expand it across the country in order to better incorporate renewable energy sources.