Sustainable energy storage for solar home systems in rural Sub-Saharan Africa – A comparative examination of lifecycle aspects of battery technologies for circular economy, with emphasis on the South African context

Charles, Rhys G.; Davies, Matthew L.; Douglas, Peter; Hallin, Ingrid; Mabbett, Ian

doi:10.1016/j.energy.2018.10.053

Cited by 55 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The device operation optimization methods developed in this work can also serve as a general strategy for improving the performance of other integrated solar energy conversion and storage devices 3 , 4 . Compared with separate solar cell + battery devices, integrated SFBs made of cost-effective solar cells could have the benefits of lower cost due to the saving in the expensive maximum power point tracking and DC–DC conversion electronics 3 , 57 , potentially higher efficiency, and convenient integrated thermal management in a compact device 14 , 15 , 17 , 56 , 58 , 59 . Our results not only demonstrate a new high-performance SFB but also shed new insights on how to design highly efficient SFBs based on more practical SJ solar cells that often have higher photocurrent densities but relatively lower photovoltages (than tandem solar cells).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our results not only demonstrate a new high-performance SFB but also shed new insights on how to design highly efficient SFBs based on more practical SJ solar cells that often have higher photocurrent densities but relatively lower photovoltages (than tandem solar cells). The success in further developing SFBs could enable practical off-grid electrification applications, such as solar home systems 56 , 57 , 60 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An efficient and stable solar flow battery enabled by a single-junction GaAs photoelectrode

Yang

et al. 2021

Nat Commun

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Converting and storing solar energy and releasing it on demand by using solar flow batteries (SFBs) is a promising way to address the challenge of solar intermittency. Although high solar-to-output electricity efficiencies (SOEE) have been recently demonstrated in SFBs, the complex multi-junction photoelectrodes used are not desirable for practical applications. Here, we report an efficient and stable integrated SFB built with back-illuminated single-junction GaAs photoelectrode with an n-p-n sandwiched design. Rational potential matching simulation and operating condition optimization of this GaAs SFB lead to a record SOEE of 15.4% among single-junction SFB devices. Furthermore, the TiO2 protection layer and robust redox couples in neutral pH electrolyte enable the SFB to achieve stable cycling over 408 h (150 cycles). These results advance the utilization of more practical solar cells with higher photocurrent densities but lower photovoltages for high performance SFBs and pave the way for developing practical and efficient SFBs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An efficient and stable solar flow battery enabled by a single-junction GaAs photoelectrode

Yang

et al. 2021

Nat Commun

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“…A holistic view from the administrators, the engineers, and the architects is a good opportunity to rethink energy obtaining. The search to implement the use of the photovoltaic panels guarantees that solar energy is captured during the day, collecting enough energy to support the night shift and with low sun exposure [52,53]. The energy storage would supply the lighting and cooling systems ( Figure 2).…”

Section: Energy Resources: Photovoltaic Panels and Solar Energymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Healthcare Sustainable Supply Chain 4.0: The Circular Economy Transition Conceptual Framework with the Corporate Social Responsibility Mirror

et al. 2019

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Concern regarding the circular economy and Industry 4.0 is starting to increase in the emerging countries. This research study aims to analyze the healthcare sustainable supply chain 4.0 by proposing the circular economy transition conceptual framework with the corporate social responsibility mirror. The authors developed an observation guideline to collect empirical data from a private healthcare institution located in Rio de Janeiro, which has been promoting investment in new technologies within its operations. The research observation is between January and April 2017. The results show the glass structure can be a channel that provides the lightning resources, the solar energy with the photovoltaic panels, and the water management. The corporate social responsibility links the social role in healthcare institutions with sustainable practices and it improves smart technologies. The applicability of the internet of things and the internet of services adds value to sustainable practices. The circular economy transition conceptual framework integrates the result analyses. The research concludes that the union among the triple bottom line, Industry 4.0, and the corporate social responsibility allows the transition from the linear model to the circular model and can improve the sustainable healthcare supply chain 4.0.

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“…Li-ion batteries have a long lifetime depending on their management and depth of discharge. They are recommended for home systems with PV electricity generation in hot climates [37]; although costs are still high their environmental impact is lower than acid-lead batteries [38]. We propose a Lithium Ferro Phosphate battery with claimed discharge cycles of 10,000 at 80% depth of discharge [39] complemented by a management system to minimize cycles and depth of discharge.…”

Section: Operation and Maintenancementioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Impact of the High Concentrator Photovoltaic Thermal 2000x System

2019

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High Concentrator Photovoltaic Thermal (HCPV/T) systems produce both electrical and thermal energy and they are efficient in areas with high Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI). This paper estimates the lifecycle environmental impact of the HCPV/T 2000x system for both electrical and thermal functionalities. Process-based attributional method following the guidelines and framework of ISO 14044/40 was used to conduct the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The midpoint and endpoint impact categories were studied. It was found that the main hotspots are the production of the thermal energy system contributing with 50% and 55%, respectively, followed by the production of the tracking system with 29% and 32% and the operation and maintenance with 13% and 7%. The main contributor to the lifecycle environmental impact category indicators was found to be the raw materials acquisition/production and manufacturing of the thermal energy and tracking systems. The results indicate that the lifecycle environmental impact of the HCPV/T 2000x system is lower compared to fuel-based Combined Heat and Power (CHP) and non-Renewable Energy Sources (non-RES) systems.Sustainability 2019, 11, 7213 2 of 21 and HCPV/T systems include low Energy Payback Time (EPBT), land use reduction, and the potential increase in power density. CSP converts DNI into electrical and thermal energy by using concentrators and conventional power block such as steam turbines, gas turbines and Stirling engines [5].Concentrator solar energy technologies could be directly applied to the buildings or utility-scale and potentially contribute to the global electricity requirements with 7 and 25% by 2030 and 2050, respectively [6][7][8]. However, the application of those technologies could be limited in the regions of high DNI such as MENA (Middle East and North Africa), Mediterranean and the Sun Belt (vast areas of the United States and New Mexico) [6]. In terms of environmental impact, those technologies demonstrated much lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) in comparison to the fossil fuels sources [8,9]. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a useful tool for assessing environmental impact has been applied on the LCPV, LCPV/T, HCPV, HCPV/T and CSP [8][9][10][11][12]. It was found that the use of HCPV/T system for domestic application replacing the traditional systems like electric national grid, boiler and electric heat pump, could reduce annual carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) by 3376 kg [10], while LCPV in building application by 93-101 g /kWh with 2.4 years EPBT and less than 142 g/kWh with 0.7 years EPBT [11,12]. The low values of EPBT are mainly as a result of reduced primary energy demand required for production of the HCPV/T and LCPV systems and their increased efficiency during energy production [10,13,14]. The GWP for HCPV was reported to vary between 16 and 45 g CO 2 -eq/kWh [8,9,15]. The lifecycle CO 2 emission of a parabolic trough and CSP power plant was estimated to be 26 g CO 2 -eq/kWh [16], and 36.3 g CO 2 -eq/kWh [17], respectively. All those studies carried out an environm...

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Sustainable energy storage for solar home systems in rural Sub-Saharan Africa – A comparative examination of lifecycle aspects of battery technologies for circular economy, with emphasis on the South African context

Cited by 55 publications

References 15 publications

An efficient and stable solar flow battery enabled by a single-junction GaAs photoelectrode

An efficient and stable solar flow battery enabled by a single-junction GaAs photoelectrode

The Healthcare Sustainable Supply Chain 4.0: The Circular Economy Transition Conceptual Framework with the Corporate Social Responsibility Mirror

Environmental Impact of the High Concentrator Photovoltaic Thermal 2000x System

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