This paper describes a new maximum-power-pointtracking method for a photovoltaic system based on the Lagrange Interpolation Formula and proposes the particle swarm optimization method. The proposed control scheme eliminates the problems of conventional methods by using only a simple numerical calculation to initialize the particles around the global maximum power point. Hence, the suggested scheme will utilize fewer iterations to reach the maximum power point. The proposed algorithm is verified with the OPAL-RT real time simulator and the Matlab Simulink tool, with several simulations being carried out, and compared to the Perturb and Observe method, the Incremental Conductance method, and the conventional Particle Swarm Optimization based algorithm. The simulation results indicate the proposed algorithm can effectively enhance stability and fast tracking capability under fastchanging non-uniform insolation conditions.

Increased deployment of variable renewable energy (VRE) has posed significant challenges to ensure reliable power system operations. As VRE penetration increases beyond 80%, the power system will require long duration energy storage and flexibility. Detailed uncertainty analysis, identifying challenges, and opportunities to provide sufficient flexibility will help to achieve smooth operations of power system networks during the scenario of high share of VRE sources. Hence, this paper presents a comprehensive overview of the power system flexibility (PSF). The intention of this review is to provide a wide spectrum of power system flexibility, PSF drivers, PSF resources, PSF provisions, methods used for assessment of flexibility and flexibility planning to the researchers, academicians, power system planners, and engineers working on the integration of VRE into the utility grid to achieve high share of these sources. More than 100 research papers on the basic concepts of PSF, drivers of the PSF, resources of PSF, requirement of the PSF, metrics used for assessment of the flexibility, methods and approaches used for measurement of flexibility level in network of the power system, and methods used for the PSF planning and flexibility provisions have been thoroughly reviewed and classified for quick reference considering different dimensions.

Recently direct current (DC) microgrids have drawn more consideration because of the expanding use of direct current (DC) energy sources, energy storages, and loads in power systems. Design and analysis of a standalone solar photovoltaic (PV) system with DC microgrid has been proposed to supply power for both DC and alternating current (AC) loads. The proposed system comprises of a solar PV system with boost DC/DC converter, Incremental conductance (IncCond) maximum power point tracking (MPPT), bi-directional DC/DC converter (BDC), DC-AC inverter and batteries. The proposed bi-directional DC/DC converter (BDC) lessens the component losses and upsurges the efficiency of the complete system after many trials for its components’ selection. Additionally, the IncCond MPPT is replaced by Perturb & Observe (P&O) MPPT, and a particle swarm optimization (PSO) one. The three proposed techniques’ comparison shows the ranking of the best choice in terms of the achieved maximum power and fast—dynamic response. Furthermore, a stability analysis of the DC microgrid system is investigated with a boost converter and a bidirectional DC-DC converter with the Lyapunov function for the system has been proposed. The complete system is designed and executed in a MATLAB/SIMULINK environment and validated utilizing an OPAL real-time simulator.

In recent years, organic solar cells became more attractive due to their flexible power devices and the potential for low-cost manufacturing. Inkjet printing is a very potential manufacturing technique of organic solar cells because of its low material usage, flexibility, and large area formation. In this paper, we presented an overall review on the inkjet printing technology as well as advantages of inkjet-printing, comparison of inkjet printing with other printing technologies and its potential for organic solar cells (OSCs). Here we highlighted in more details about the viability of environment-friendly and cost-effective, non-halogenated indium tin oxide (ITO) free large scale roll to roll production of the OSC by inkjet printing technology. The challenges of inkjet printing like the viscosity limitations, nozzle clogging, coffee ring effect, and limitation of printability as well as dot spacing are also discussed. Lastly, some of the improvement strategies for getting the higher efficiency of the OSCs have been suggested.

Optimal Reactive Power Dispatch (ORPD is thought of as a noncontinuous, nonlinear global optimization problem. Within the system’s constraints, the ORPD manages to accomplish the reactive power flow. Due to its more intricate linkage of variables, the reactive power issue is more challenging to resolve than the optimum power flow issue. With the existence of renewable energy resources (RERs), solving the ORPD problem to attain the most stable and secure system condition has become a more challenging task. The goal of this article is to solve the objective function of ORPD combined with RERs using a metaheuristic novel optimizer named the African Vultures Optimization Algorithm abbreviated by (AVOA), where the formulation of the ORPD issue including minimization of three single objective functions as follows, voltage deviation, system operating cost, and real power loss, is introduced and also transmission power loss minimization is embraced with the simultaneous incorporation of the optimal renewable energy resources (RERs). Where the ORPD problem complexity grows exponentially with a mixture of continuous and discrete control variables, two distinct continuous and discrete types of optimization variables are considered, and the proposed single objective functions that meet different operating constraints are then transformed into a coefficient multi-objective ORPD problem and elucidated using the weighted sum approach. To validate the suggested algorithm’s effectiveness in addressing the ORPD issue, it is evaluated on three standard IEEE networks: the IEEE-30 bus small-scale network, the IEEE-57 bus medium-scale network, and the IEEE-118 bus large-scale network using different scenarios and the outcomes are compared to these other popular optimization techniques. The findings show that the suggested AVOA algorithm provides an efficient and sturdy high-quality solution for tackling ORPD situations and vastly enhances the overall system performance of power at all scales.