TOMSK, Feb 24 – RIA Tomsk. Scientists of Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) have developed a hybrid
solar energy storage system for a gym in Baghdad, which is 20% cheaper than
analogues, the university's website reported on Wednesday.
Despite the fact that Iraq is rich in
oil, this country is energy deficient and has to import electricity. There are
also problems of underdevelopment of electrical grid in remote areas, so the
issues of using renewable energy resources are very relevant, they say in Polytechnic.
"TPU scientists conducted a study
and presented the concept of a hybrid solar energy storage system based on a
photovoltaic installation with electrochemical and thermal storage for a sports
hall in Baghdad (Iraq). According to preliminary estimates, the development is
20% cheaper in total than analogues", – the statement said.
The installation collects and stores
electricity in batteries, and also accumulates solar energy in the form of heat
energy from heated water. It consists of an array of photovoltaic modules that
convert solar energy into electricity, which is accumulated in electrochemical
batteries with the help of a charge controller and supplied to the consumer
through an inverter.
The thermal part of the installation,
which provides heating of water, is a thermally insulated water-heating boiler
with electric heating, powered by the same photovoltaic modules through a
special thermal controller, bypassing the batteries.
Solar energy is accumulated by a
combined method: in electrochemical accumulators and cheaper heat storage water
boilers. In the conditions of Iraq, it is possible to reduce the cost of the
solar energy storage system by 20%. As a result, the cost of photovoltaic
electricity for a sports hall in Baghdad was estimated to be below the national
average electricity tariff.
"Photovoltaic energy is very
uneven, since it directly depends on the seasons, time of day and weather
conditions. Nevertheless, the advantages of photovoltaic technologies allow
obtaining energy at lower intensities of solar radiation compared to direct
heating of a solar collector", – the report quotes TPU professor Boris
Lukutin, with whom a graduate student of the TPU School of Energy & Power
Engineering Karrar Hameed Kadhim worked on the study together.