Publications related to Sunlight

Photoelectrochemical behaviour of photoanodes under high photon fluxes

Sophia Haussener, Isaac Thomas Holmes-Gentle, Franky Esteban Bedoya Lora, Lorenzo Aimone

The experimental behaviour of photoelectrochemical materials illuminated under high irradiance conditions >100 kW m−2 has not been studied despite being potentially advantageous for improving the photoelectrochemical performance and the system-level design ...

Royal Society of Chemistry2023

Investigation of the effects of the Greek extreme wildfires of August 2021 on air quality and spectral solar irradiance

In August 2021, a historic heatwave was recorded in Greece which resulted in extreme wildfire events that strongly affected the air quality over the city of Athens. Saharan dust was also transferred over Greece on certain days of the same period due to the ...

Copernicus Publications2023

Dissecting the photoacidity of spiropyran/merocyanine molecular switches in water

Cesare Berton

Photochemistry is a discipline that studies the interaction between light and matter with the scope to induce chemical transformations. The first conjugation between light and chemistry can be dated back to the lifespan of Giacomo Luigi Ciamician, who is c ...

EPFL2023

Modeling reflection by structured building-integrated photovoltaics

Stephen William Wasilewski

Evaluating the reflection of solar radiation by Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) with structured front-glass is challenging for two reasons. First, the resulting irregular scattering of light cannot be accounted for by simple reflection models. Sec ...

2023

Tuning the Solar Performance of Building Facades through Polymer 3D Printing: Toward Bespoke Thermo-Optical Properties

Stephen William Wasilewski, Arno Schlueter

Facades are the primary interface controlling the flow of solar energy in buildings and affecting their energy balance and environmental impact. Recently, large-scale 3D printing (3DP) of translucent polymers has been explored as a technique for fabricatin ...

Wiley2023

Plasmonic Nanofluids: Enhancing Photothermal Gradients toward Liquid Robots

Giulia Tagliabue, Matteo Bevione

In situ energy generation in soft, flexible, autonomous devices is challenging due to the need for highly stretchable and fault-resistant components. Nanofluids with pyro-, tribo-, or thermoelectric properties have recently emerged as promising solutions f ...

Amer Chemical Soc2023

Calibration of ground surface albedo models

Christophe Ballif, Pierre-Jean Alet, Arttu Matias Tuomiranta

The emergence of bifacial photovoltaics as a serious option for large-scale power generation makes the accuracy of the in-situ estimation of ground surface albedo increasingly critical. Recent studies have evaluated the performance of different models but ...

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD2022

Impact of Brightness on Glare Perception when Using Shading Fabrics

Marilyne Andersen, Jan Wienold, Caroline Karmann

Access to daylight and views out are usually recognized as beneficial to occupant comfort at the workplace. Simultaneously, discomfort glare due to direct sunlight is a known source of occupant dissatisfaction. Shading fabrics with low openness factor have ...

PLEA2022

Mechanistic modelling of solar disinfection (SODIS) kinetics of Escherichia coli, enhanced with H2O2 - Part 2: Shine on you, crazy peroxide

César Pulgarin, Stefanos Giannakis, Ling Feng

In this second part of the development of a mechanistic kinetic model of the solar inactivation of E. coli enhanced with hydrogen peroxide, we evaluate the mechanisms based on photonic inactivation and integrate them into the kinetic model of the dark proc ...

ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA2022

Novel Interfacial Characterization and Surface Engineering in Semiconductor Electrodes for Optimized Solar Fuel Production

Yongpeng Liu

Harvesting sunlight, the ultimate renewable power source, in a cost-effective way has been long recognized as a necessary route to meet the global energy challenges. Solar energy can be transformed into electricity by means of photovoltaic devices to suppl ...

EPFL2021

How Forward-Scattering Snow and Terrain Change the Alpine Radiation Balance With Application to Solar Panels

Michael Lehning, Annelen Kahl

Rough terrain in mid- and high latitudes is often covered with highly reflective snow, giving rise to a very complex transfer of incident sunlight. In order to simplify the radiative transfer in weather and climate models, snow is generally treated as an i ...

2021

Behind electrochromic glazing: Assessing user's perception of glare from the sun in a controlled environment

Jan Wienold, Caroline Karmann, Sneha Jain

The adaptable transmittance of electrochromic glazing allows to control the solar radiation entering buildings, yet the level of transmittance needed to protect from glare is still an unanswered question. To bridge this gap, this study evaluates the level ...

2022

SODIS potential: A novel parameter to assess the suitability of solar water disinfection worldwide

César Pulgarin, Stefanos Giannakis, Sofia Samoili, Giulio Farinelli

This paper studies the worldwide applicability of solar water disinfection (SODIS) technology through a novel parameter: the SODIS potential. This parameter is defined as the inverse ratio between the required exposure time to achieve a four log disinfecti ...

ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA2021

Enhancing Algae Biomass Production by Using Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells as Filters

Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin, Christian Ludwig, Shivom Sharma, Eya Nicodeme, Peng Qin

One of the most promising options for decreasing the costs of microalgae production is enhancing the production and reducing the energy demand of the culturing systems and the high surface area requirements. Because microalgae growth requires only specific ...

2021

Visible light plays a significant role during bacterial inactivation by the photo-fenton process, even at sub-critical light intensities

César Pulgarin, Cristina del Socorro Lonfat, Stefanos Giannakis, Rosa Mosteo, David Muzard, Angelica Varon Lopez

The aim of this research is to clarify the contribution of sunlight wavelengths, irradiance and Fe2+/H2O2 during bacterial disinfection by the photo-Fenton process in clear surface waters. We considered different solar spectrum distributions (visible, UVA- ...

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD2020

Digitally Printed AgNPs Doped TiO2 on Commercial Porcelain-Grès Tiles: Synergistic Effects and Continuous Photocatalytic Antibacterial Activity

Sami Rtimi

In the present study, we use commercial digitally printed ceramic tiles, functionnalized by AgNPs doped micro–TiO2, to investigate the mechanism of Ag in the continouos photocatalytic antibacterial activity. The novelty of the research lies in the attempt ...

2020

Parametric study of URBAN morphology on building solar energy potential in Singapore context

Jérôme Henri Kämpf

In 2014, the Singapore government announced plans to increase the adoption of solar power, including by integrating solar PV systems into the urban environment. Careful planning of a neighbourhood at early design stage, which determines the overall urban m ...

2020

Insights into the Photocatalytic Bacterial Inactivation by Flower-Like Bi2WO6 under Solar or Visible Light, Through in Situ Monitoring and Determination of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)

César Pulgarin, Juan Kiwi, Sami Rtimi, Stefanos Giannakis, Minoo Karbasi

This study addresses the visible light-induced bacterial inactivation kinetics over a Bi2WO6 synthesized catalyst. The systematic investigation was undertaken with Bi2WO6 prepared by the complexation of Bi with acetic acid (carboxylate) leading to a flower ...

2020

Low-Cost and Highly Efficient Carbon-Based Perovskite Solar Cells Exhibiting Excellent Long-Term Operational and UV Stability

Michael Graetzel, Shaik Mohammed Zakeeruddin, Thomas Paul Baumeler, Mohammad Ibrahim Dar, Neha Arora, Yuhang Liu, Seckin Akin, Ryusuke Uchida

Today's perovskite solar cells (PSCs) mostly use components, such as organic hole conductors or noble metal back contacts, that are very expensive or cause degradation of their photovoltaic performance. For future large-scale deployment of PSCs, these comp ...

2019

A solar-based sustainable urban design: The effects of city-scale street-canyon geometry on solar access in Geneva, Switzerland

Jean-Louis Scartezzini, Dan Assouline, Jérôme Henri Kämpf, Nahid Mohajeri Pour Rayeni

Buildings commonly have the largest share in the energy demand of a country, but they also offer sites for the generation of solar energy. Here we develop a methodology to analyse the effects of street-canyon geometries on the solar access of street surfac ...

2019