The adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is increasing worldwide as it may help reduce reliance on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions. However, the large-scale use of charging stations for ...electric vehicles poses some challenges to the power grid and public infrastructure. To overcome the problem of extended charging time, the simple solution of increasing the charging station and increasing the charging capacity does not work due to the load and space limitation of the power grid. Therefore, researchers focused on developing intelligent planning algorithms to manage the demand for public charging based on predicting the charging time of electric vehicles. As a result, this paper proposes a deep learning approach for predicting the duration of charging sessions. These approaches are validated using a real-world dataset of charging processes collected at public charging stations in Morocco. Numerical results show that the gated recurrent units (GRU) regression method slightly outperforms the other methods in predicting the charging sessions duration. Accurate prediction of electric vehicles charging duration has many potential applications for utilities and charging operators, including grid reliability, scheduling, and smart grid integration. In the case of Morocco, the massive deployment of EVs can cause a variety of problems to the electrical system due to the considerable charging power and stochastic charging behaviors of electric vehicle drivers. Thanks to this study's results, we can assess the expected impact of additional EVs on the grid, considering specific characteristics of the Moroccan power system.
Protected crop production is rapidly expanding in the Mediterranean Basin, and particularly in Morocco. Increased local and overseas demand for these products led to a rapid development in greenhouse ...usage encouraged by government policies. The aim of this study is to investigate key design parameters that affect the thermal behavior and the heating/cooling energy need of a greenhouse situated in Agadir (Morocco). The parameters include the cladding material characteristics, shape, orientation, and air change rate. The greenhouse is modeled by a developed thermal model using TRNSYS software. The model considers the presence of the plants inside the greenhouse by adding the heat and humidity gain into the heat and water balance of the greenhouse using an evapotranspiration sub-model. The effect of evapotranspiration on the greenhouse thermal behavior was also examined in this study. A validation of the current TRNSYS simulation and evapotranspiration model was made using previous studies from the literature, and the comparison showed fair agreement. The relative error of the annually heating demand obtained by this model is 1.66%, and the evapotranspiration model used in this study shows relative deviation less than 6.5%. The results of this study indicate that the East-West greenhouse orientation is the optimum orientation as it can reduce the annual cost of air-conditioning of the greenhouse by 9.28% compared to North-South orientation. Quonset shape is the optimum greenhouse shape in Morocco as it can save 14.44% of annual cost of air-conditioning instead of the Even-span shape.
The use of cold thermal storage systems in low-temperature industrial applications is considered one of the most promising ways of improving energy efficiency and reducing the use of power during ...peak periods. In this study, the thermal performance of a shell-and-tube cold storage system under realistic operating conditions is investigated numerically. The proposed model is developed based on energy balances and then validated using existing experimental data from the literature. Glycol/water is used as the heat transfer fluid (HTF) and the phase transition phenomena in the phase change material (PCM) is simulated using the enthalpy–porosity approach. The influence of several design and operating parameters, including the HTF mass flow rate, HTF temperature, PCM type, and volume, on the cold storage performance during the crystallization process is presented and analyzed. The numerical results show that increasing the HTF mass flow rate accelerates the PCM crystallization process. However, the delivery periods of constant thermal power and constant HTF outlet temperature are reduced. The HTF inlet temperature has a significant effect on the cold storage performance, and the complete charging period is reduced by approximately 37% when the HTF inlet temperature is reduced from −4 °C to −7 °C. Increasing the number of tubes in the cold storage unit is concluded to significantly improve the thermal performance of the system, and using water/ice as a cold storage medium is more suitable than using the commercial PCMs RT2-HC and RT4-HC. Finally, the proposed numerical model for cold storage systems can be successfully used to design and simulate their realistic operation under different conditions.
Solar biogas system production offers the possibility to simultaneously produce heat, electricity and to treat waste products as well as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the industrial sector. ...In this paper, we report on the development of an experimental solar biogas prototype to valorize the biomass generated by the Moroccan paper industry in order to reduce its carbon footprint. This paper presents an integrated solution to an environmental and energy problem of the companies that generate wet waste biomass. The current new prototype consists of a biogas production system using liquid biomass, a solar installation, and thermodynamic storage derived from a heat pump. Energy balances carried out show that the solar system can reach a thermal efficiency of 70%; the thermal losses of the system are around 53% for the biogas system and 22.6% for the storage and piping system. Further, the results found indicate the average heat demand of the digester reactor is 302 kWh per month, the solar system produced 284 kWh per month (94%) in worth case, which means the solar system is the main source energy and the system solar biogas is a self-energy system. Besides, it was found that the pilot solar biogas system produces about 1100 L of biogas, the analysis of biogas produced prove that it contains 74% of CH4 (814 L) and processes about 3000 L of industrial biomass daily, the biogas conversion efficiency of the whole system is 42%. The economic potential of the current solar biogas system in terms of electricity savings reached 2 MWh per month. The life cycle savings of the current solar system instead of purchasing electricity to meet the energy needs of the biogas process is approximately $4687. Annual emissions of (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are reduced by 69%, 71%, and 70% respectively. Upscaling the current prototype system to 700 m3 (reactor volume) for the case study of cardboard company industry, shows that the yearly bio-methane (CH4) production is around 52,836 m3 per year, which represent 64% of the total fuel consumption for the current case of cardboard recycling and packaging company.
Since the beginning of the third millennium, significant growth in the usage of conventional air conditioning systems was observed. This increase caused an enhancement in building electricity ...consumption. Therefore, the development of solar air conditioning systems applied to buildings is of great interest. However, it is essential to understand and assess this alternative solution. In this regard, this study focuses on solar cooling technology as an alternative to conventional air conditioning systems, which consume a significant amount of electricity. A mathematical model of a single-effect absorption chiller was developed using TRNSYS software to analyze the dynamic behavior of the system. The energy performance of the solar cooling system was evaluated by analyzing the solar fraction, coefficient of performance, and thermal efficiency. The optimal size of the solar panel surface and storage reservoir capacity were determined for Oujda, Morocco’s climatic conditions. Simulation results showed that a 600 m
2
flat plate collectors (FPC) with a 2.5 m
3
storage tank could sustain a peak load of 108 kW while ensuring continuous performance. The system’s efficiency was improved by maximizing useful energy and minimizing supplementary energy consumption, achieving a significant monthly average solar fraction in July to meet cooling demand. The coefficient of performance of the absorption chiller was found to be 0.53, maintaining a chilled temperature of 6.67°C. These findings demonstrate the potential of solar cooling technology as an effective and sustainable alternative for building air conditioning.
The aim of this work is to investigate the energy and thermal benefits of using PCM in a controlled cooling ceiling system integrated in a ventilated room, with three Moroccan climates representing ...three different Köppen-Geiger's climate types. The cooling power is controlled to maintain indoor air temperature in a narrow range assuring thermal comfort without wasting energy. Physical equations are solved numerically using computational fluid dynamics by a detailed 2D transient simulation integrating real ambient temperatures of Fez (Csa climate), Ifrane (Csb climate) and Marrakech (BSh climate). The main aim sought here is to assess the capacity of the paraffin C13 PCM to enhance the performance of a cooling ceiling system integrated in an efficiently ventilated room. Simulations performed justified the suitability of using the paraffin C13 PCM with the three climate types evaluated from a thermal point of view represented by the decreasing of fluctuation rate of the indoor air temperature, and with the Csa and Csb climates represented by a saving of cooling power reaching 17.07% and 16.30%, respectively, from an energy-related point of view.
•Numerical investigation on the validity of using PCM in a controlled cooling ceiling.•Using the Paraffin C13 PCM in cooling ceiling led to a significant energy saving.•Cooling power control is applied to confine air temperature in a narrow interval contributing to thermal comfort targeted.
Nowadays, with the rapid growths in world population and economy, the world energy demand and consumption have increased enormously which led to a wide variety of harsh environmental impacts 1. As a ...potential solution for energy conservation storing the excess energy to fill the gap between energy supply and demand, using phase change materials (PCMs) has received much attention. Thermal energy storage with PCM is a promising technology based on the principle of latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES)2, where PCM absorbs or releases large amounts of energy at a certain temperature during the phase change transition period (charging and discharging process), with a high heat of fusion around its phase change temperature range 3. Thermal energy storage in packed beds is receiving increased attention as a necessary component for efficient implementation of concentrated solar power plants. In this study, the thermal characteristics, during a single charge period, of a packed bed made of PCM filled spherical capsules is presented. It was found that the energy efficiency of the system proved to be very sensitive to the choice of the PCM melting temperature.
This paper aims to highlight the potential of solar water heater installations in Morocco. The project involves the comparison of active and passive solutions for energy efficiency in buildings. To ...this end, a numerical simulation model of solar water heater installations is created under TRNsys. Three hot water demand scenarios (Low, Standard, and High) were taken into account for the six climatic zones defined in the Moroccan thermal regulation of constructions. The same software (TRNsys) is used to model a pilot building consisting of 16 flats. Energy efficiency actions have been applied to the building envelope (insulation and glazing) and simulations are made for the six areas. The simulation results comparing energy and financial savings show the influence of subsidized gas prices on solar water heaters’ relevance despite significant energy savings. This work proves that solar water heaters will be a primary obligation for Morocco, taking into account changes in butane gas prices.
This paper presents a strategical project for the new version of the Moroccan energy policy. It highlights the technology of solar water heaters (SWH), studying energy, economic and environmental ...gains of SWH generalization to satisfy the total resident need proposing a new strategic version diversified in terms of adopted technologies (more than green electricity). A detailed analysis of thermal performances and economic profitability of direct thermosyphon solar water heaters (TSWH) for residential requirements in Morocco. The optimum design parameters were defined and investigated using the dynamic TRNSYS simulation program. The optimum system was simulated under the six climatic conditions of Morocco in order to assess the related performances in terms of the collector efficiency and solar fraction. The major finding of this work is that large-scale integration of TSWH into Moroccan residences could provide up to 70% of thermal energy loads. An economic study was also developed to predict the life-cycle savings generated by the generalization of this technology in Morocco for all residential building’s categories. Approximately 1250 million USD as national saving on the total energy bill can be achieved. The environmental effects were also assessed to achieve the aims of this work and to evaluate the CO2 emissions avoided due to this environmentally friendly solution.
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