Assessment of higher demand of household energy consumption in different households in India: an inter-comparative study and solar savings valuation.

The present work focuses on a detailed inter-comparative assessment of household energy consumption (HEC) patterns for different Indian households including their living style and pattern of using clean energy fuels. This assessment has been done for cooking, heating, cooling, and transportation patterns in different households. It has been observed that the monthly income, family size, and house location have a significant effect on the monthly HEC of a specific household. Besides the complete assessment of HEC, results of the present study also show the potential of solar energy applications through which rural poor households and lower-income households can save approximately $10.77 to $14.36 monthly while urban households can save $17.95 to $29.92 monthly. Rural side medium-income households can save about $10.77 to $14.36 in cooking and about $11.97 to $16.76 monthly in space heating, cooling, and lighting, while urban medium-income households can save about $17.95 to $29.92 monthly. Likely, rural high-income households or rich households can save about $11.97 to $16.76 in cooking, and about $17.95 to $29.92 monthly in space heating, cooling, and lighting while urban high-income households can save about $29.92 to $53.86 monthly. Rich households can save up to $23.94 in cooking, and up to $95.75 monthly in space heating, cooling, and lighting. A complete formulization of the theoretical assessment of HEC has been discussed in this study.

Optimizing soybean biofuel blends for sustainable urban medium-duty commercial vehicles in India: an AI-driven approach.

This article presents the outcomes of a research study focused on optimizing the performance of soybean biofuel blends derived from soybean seeds specifically for urban medium-duty commercial vehicles. The study took into consideration elements such as production capacity, economics and assumed engine characteristics. For the purpose of predicting performance, combustion and emission characteristics, an artificial intelligence approach that has been trained using experimental data is used. At full load, the brake thermal efficiency (BTE) dropped as engine speed increased for biofuel and diesel fuel mixes, but brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) increased. The BSFC increased by 11.9% when diesel compared to using biofuel with diesel blends. The mixes cut both maximum cylinder pressure and NO x emissions. The biofuel-diesel fuel proved more successful, with maximum reduction of 9.8% and 22.2 at rpm, respectively. The biofuel and diesel blend significantly improved carbon dioxide ( CO 2 ) and smoke emissions. The biofuel blends offer significant advantages by decreeing exhaust pollutants and enhancing engine performance.

Systematic inspection on the interplay between MoNa-induced sodium and the formation of MoSe2 intermediate layer in CIGSe/Mo heterostructures.

The critical impact of sodium-doped molybdenum (MoNa) in shaping the MoSe2 interfacial layer, influencing the electrical properties of CIGSe/Mo heterostructures, and achieving optimal MoSe2 formation conditions, leading to improved hetero-contact quality. Notably, samples with a 600-nm-thick MoNa layer demonstrate the highest resistivity (73 µΩcm) and sheet resistance (0.45 Ω/square), highlighting the substantial impact of MoNa layer thickness on electrical conductivity. Controlled sodium diffusion through MoNa layers is essential for achieving desirable electrical characteristics, influencing Na diffusion rates, grain sizes, and overall morphology, as elucidated by EDX and FESEM analyses. Additionally, XRD results provide insights into the spontaneous peeling-off phenomenon, with the sample featuring a ~ 600-nm MoNa layer displaying the strongest diffraction peak and the largest crystal size, indicative of enhanced Mo to MoSe2 conversion facilitated by sodium presence. Raman spectra further confirm the presence of MoSe2, with its thickness correlating with MoNa layer thickness. The observed increase in resistance and decrease in conductivity with rising MoSe2 layer thickness underscore the critical importance of optimal MoSe2 formation for transitioning from Schottky to ohmic contact in CIGSe/Mo heterostructures. Ultimately, significant factors to the advancement of CIGSe thin-film solar cell production are discussed, providing nuanced insights into the interplay of MoNa and MoSe2, elucidating their collective impact on the electrical characteristics of CIGSe/Mo heterostructures.

Solar Salt with Carbon Nanotubes as a Potential Phase Change Material for High-Temperature Applications: Investigations on Thermal Properties and Chemical Stability.

Nano-enhanced phase change materials are highly employed for an enhanced heat-transfer process. The current work reports that the thermal properties of solar salt-based phase change materials were enhanced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Solar salt (60:40 of NaNO3/KNO3) with a phase change temperature and enthalpy of 225.13 °C and 244.76 kJ/kg, respectively, is proposed as a high-temperature PCM, and CNT is added to improve its thermal conductivity. The ball-milling method was employed to mix CNTs with solar salt at various concentrations of 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5% by weight. SEM images display the even distribution of CNTs with solar salt, with the absence of cluster formations. The thermal conductivity, phase change properties, and thermal and chemical stabilities of the composites were studied before and after 300 thermal cycles. FTIR studies indicated only physical interaction between PCM and CNTs. The thermal conductivity was enhanced with an increase in CNT concentration. The thermal conductivity was enhanced by 127.19 and 125.09% before and after cycling, respectively, in the presence of 0.5% CNT. The phase change temperature decreased by around 1.64% after adding 0.5% CNT, with a decrease of 14.67% in the latent heat during melting. TGA thermograms indicated the weight loss was initiated at about 590 and 575 °C before and after thermal cycling, after which it was rapid with an increase in temperature. Thermal characterization of CNT-enhanced solar salt indicated that the composites could be used as phase change materials for enhanced heat-transfer applications.

Performance evaluation of using evacuated tubes solar collector, perforated fins, and pebbles in a solar still - experimental study and CO2 mitigation analysis.

The combination of various methods of increasing evaporation rate can highly impact the performance of solar desalination. This investigation aims to find the impact of using evacuated tubes solar collector, perforated fins, and pebbles on the performance enhancement of a solar still. Simultaneously six-evacuated-tube solar collector to raise the evaporation rate of the system, the perforated fins to increase the heat transfer surface between water and absorber, and the immersed pebbles stone in the water to keep the high water temperature at low solar radiation were considered. The hourly and cumulative distillate output (DO) values are presented separately for the daytime and nighttime to provide extensive insight. The results indicate that on a sample day from the six months of experiments, which was in February 2019, the time for DO peak shifts from 1 to 3 p.m. Moreover, the temperature values for MSS experience almost 43 ℃ jumps on the peak and almost 19 ℃ increase on average compared to CSS. Furthermore, the cumulative DO in the daytime reaches from 2.515 to 6.662 L, while during the nighttime, an increase from 0.057 to 0.872 L is observed. Additionally, during the six months, the average DO jumps from 2.88 to 7.03 L, which means a significant enhancement of 144.1%. Moreover, the costs per liter of MSS and CSS are 0.0051 and 0.0056 dollars per liter, respectively. The net amount of CO2 reduction of MSS was improved by about 2.44 times higher than CSS.