Khalil Kassmi

This study extends previous experimental investigations of a hybrid multi-stage solar desalination (MSD) system by developing and experimentally validating a detailed thermo-energetic model of the same installation. The system combines flat-plate thermal solar collectors with a photovoltaic (PV)-powered immersed electrical heater to supplement thermal energy during operation. A transient thermo-energetic model of the basin and eight distillation stages was developed, accounting for conduction, convection, radiation, and evaporation–condensation heat and mass transfer, and solved using the fourth-order Runge–Kutta (RK4) method in Python (version 3.12.11). The model was validated against experimental measurements collected over multiple campaigns and seasons using real brackish well water (TDS > 3 g/L) at Douar El Hamri, eastern Morocco. Quantitative validation yielded mean absolute temperature errors of 2.41 °C in thermal-only operation and 2.42 °C in hybrid operation, with corresponding mean relative errors of 7.10% and 5.00%, respectively. Daily freshwater production reached 45 kg in thermal-only operation and 93 kg in hybrid operation, while the corresponding simulated values were 44.47 and 92.84 kg. The hybrid configuration also reduced the Specific Energy Consumption from 689.15 to 387.20 kWh·m⁻³ and increased the overall energy efficiency from 61.83% to 63.12% and the exergy efficiency from 8.69% to 10.86%. These results demonstrate that the developed model accurately reproduces the thermal behavior and freshwater production of the experimental system and provides a useful basis for performance assessment, system sizing, and future optimization of hybrid solar desalination systems for water-stressed regions.

The transportation sector’s decarbonization represents one of the most critical challenges in achieving global climate targets. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of an integrated renewable energy system that produces green hydrogen through a hybrid solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind power configuration. The proposed system combines a 1.2 MWp solar array with 800 kW wind turbines, feeding a 1 MW proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer for hydrogen production. The hydrogen is subsequently compressed, stored at 350 (for trucks and buses) and 700 bar (for cars), and then utilized either directly for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) or reconverted to electricity via a 250 kW stationary PEM fuel cell to support electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. Through detailed techno-economic simulation using HOMER Pro and MATLAB/Simulink 2022a, we demonstrate that the hybrid configuration achieves a 71% electrolyzer capacity factor, producing 55.8 tonnes of hydrogen annually with a levelized cost of 5.82 €/kg. The system ensures over 60 h of grid-independent operation while reducing CO₂ emissions by 1656 tones annually compared to conventional grid-powered alternatives. Results indicate that hybrid renewable hydrogen systems can provide economically viable solutions for sustainable mobility infrastructure, with projected cost reductions making them competitive with fossil fuel alternatives by 2030.

This work presents the design, modeling, and experimental validation of an innovative, highly autonomous, and economically viable photovoltaic solar cooker, integrating a robust battery storage system. The system combines 1200 Wp photovoltaic panels, a control block with DC/DC power converters and digital control for intelligent energy management, and a thermally insulated heating plate equipped with two resistors. The objective of the system is to reduce dependence on conventional fuels while overcoming the limitations of existing solar cookers, particularly insufficient cooking temperatures, the need for continuous solar orientation, and significant thermal losses. The optimization of thermal insulation using a ceramic fiber and glass wool configuration significantly reduces heat losses and increases the thermal efficiency to 64%, nearly double that of the non-insulated case (34%). This improvement enables cooking temperatures of 100–122 °C, heating element surface temperatures of 185–464 °C, and fast cooking times ranging from 20 to 58 min, depending on the prepared dish. Thermal modeling takes into account sheet metal, strengths, and food. The experimental results show excellent agreement between simulation and measurements (deviation < 5%), and high converter efficiencies (84–97%). The integration of the batteries guarantees an autonomy of 6 to 12 days and a very low depth of discharge (1–3%), allowing continuous cooking even without direct solar radiation. Crucially, the techno-economic analysis confirmed the system’s strong market competitiveness. Despite an Initial Investment Cost (CAPEX) of USD 1141.2, the high performance and low operational expenditure lead to a highly favorable Return on Investment (ROI) of only 4.31 years. Compared to existing conventional and solar cookers, the developed system offers superior energy efficiency and optimized cooking times, and demonstrates rapid profitability. This makes it a sustainable, reliable, and energy-efficient home solution, representing a major technological leap for domestic cooking in rural areas.

This chapter presents the digitization and supervision of a photovoltaic solar cooker using a Raspberry Pi Pico W microcontroller. The system collects meteorological and electrical parameters (voltage, current, power, efficiency, temperatures) in real time and automatically regulates the cooker's operation. Data, transmitted via the MQTT protocol, are instantly displayed on a Tkinter interface and archived in MySQL databases to ensure full traceability. The results show that the developed architecture enables: Real-time reception and display of data, Timestamped storage for individualized monitoring, Deferred visualization through an interactive web application based on Dash. This centralized and scalable solution provides a reliable tool for supervision, performance analysis, and adaptation of solar cookers to various contexts. This chapter presents the digitization and supervision of a photovoltaic solar cooker using a Raspberry Pi Pico W microcontroller. The system collects meteorological and electrical parameters (voltage, current, power, efficiency, temperatures) in real time and automatically regulates the cooker's operation. Data, transmitted via the MQTT protocol, are instantly displayed on a Tkinter interface and archived in MySQL databases to ensure full traceability. The results show that the developed architecture enables: Real-time reception and display of data, Timestamped storage for individualized monitoring, Deferred visualization through an interactive web application based on Dash. This centralized and scalable solution provides a reliable tool for supervision, performance analysis, and adaptation of solar cookers to various contexts.

Green hydrogen is increasingly recognized as a sustainable energy vector, offering significant potential for the industrial sector, buildings, and sustainable transport. As countries work to establish infrastructure for hydrogen production, transport, and energy storage, they face several challenges, including high costs, infrastructure complexity, security concerns, maintenance requirements, and the need for public acceptance. To explore these challenges and their environmental impact, this study proposes a hybrid sustainable infrastructure that integrates photovoltaic solar energy for the production and storage of green hydrogen, with PEMFC fuel cells and a hybrid Power-to-Electricity (PtE) and Power-to-Gas (PtG) configurations. The proposed system architecture is governed by an innovative energy optimization and management (EMS) algorithm, allowing forecasting, control, and supervision of various PV–hydrogen–Grid transfer scenarios. Additionally, comprehensive daily and seasonal simulations were performed to evaluate power sharing, energy transfer, hydrogen production, and storage capabilities. Dynamic performance assessments were conducted under different conditions of solar radiation, temperature, and load, demonstrating the system’s adaptability. The results indicate an overall efficiency of 62%, with greenhouse gas emissions reduced to 1% and a daily production of hydrogen of around 250 kg equivalent to 8350 KWh/day.

Design and realization of a descretized PV system with an improved MPPT control for a better exploitation of the PV energy