http://hdl.handle.net/10498/6763 2026-05-09T22:22:44Z 2026-05-09T22:22:44Z Saborido Barba, Nieves Clavijo Blanco, José Antonio Cletus Swilla, Ibrahim García López, María del Carmen Álvarez Tey, Germán Jiménez Castañeda, Rafael http://hdl.handle.net/10498/38859 2026-02-25T01:07:58Z 2026-02-05T00:00:00Z

Quantitative assessment of PV modules affected by Type-C cracks using electroluminescence imaging Saborido Barba, Nieves; Clavijo Blanco, José Antonio; Cletus Swilla, Ibrahim; García López, María del Carmen; Álvarez Tey, Germán; Jiménez Castañeda, Rafael Cracks in photovoltaic modules are among the defects that can lead to the highest power losses. While the qualitative analysis of such failures has been widely studied, quantitative assessments remain relatively scarce. Accurately estimating the power loss associated with these defects is therefore essential to assess module performance, guide decision-making in maintenance activities and ensure long-term photovoltaic system performance. This paper presents the application of a methodology to quantify Type-C crack severity across the cells of a sample of 100 photovoltaic modules from two different manufacturers that have been in operation for 11 years. The methodology combines automatic crack segmentation of electroluminescence images with a quantitative assessment of the power losses associated with Type-C cracks. The statistical analysis of the sample indicates that the best probability distribution fitting the power loss estimation results is the Generalized Extreme Value distribution, with a mean value of 12.77%. This suggests a slightly higher average power loss than expected according to the acceptance/rejection criteria established, reflecting that the sample exhibits slight degradation while remaining operational. Furthermore, the shape of the resulting distribution suggests that it is unlikely to observe modules exceeding the 20% of power loss. The approach used to estimate power loss highlights the importance of detecting the distribution of cracks across the photovoltaic module, as concentrated Type-C cracks in a cell can lead to significant power losses for the module. The proposed approach enables proactive maintenance by identifying severely cracked modules for replacement, improving plant performance.

2026-02-05T00:00:00Z Puyana Romero, Virginia Núñez-Solano, Daniel Hernández Molina, Ricardo Fernández Zacarías, Francisco Beira Jiménez, Juan Luis Ciaburro, Giuseppe http://hdl.handle.net/10498/38663 2026-02-14T01:05:02Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Designing for Neonates’ Wellness: Differences in the Reverberation Time Between an Incubator Located in an Open Unit and in a Private Room of a NICU Puyana Romero, Virginia; Núñez-Solano, Daniel; Hernández Molina, Ricardo; Fernández Zacarías, Francisco; Beira Jiménez, Juan Luis; Ciaburro, Giuseppe Noise levels in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) significantly impact neonatal health, influencing stress levels, sleep cycles, and overall development. One critical factor in managing noise is reverberation time (T), which affects sound persistence and acoustic comfort. This study, conducted at the Universidad de Las Américas in Quito, Ecuador, examines T in two NICU room types—open unit and private room. Measurements were taken in simulated environments to assess acoustic differences between these two designs. Results indicate that T is significantly lower in private rooms compared to open units, suggesting that private rooms provide a more controlled and acoustically favorable environment for neonates. Lower T reduces excessive noise exposure, improving sleep quality and minimizing stress responses in preterm infants. Furthermore, the findings align with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), by advocating for hospital designs that enhance patient health and promote sustainable infrastructure. These results highlight the importance of integrating acoustically optimized spaces in NICUs to improve neonatal outcomes and contribute to a more sustainable healthcare system. Future research should further explore architectural solutions for noise reduction to refine NICU design standards.

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z Horrillo Quintero, Pablo García Triviño, Pablo Santos, Sérgio F. Carrasco González, David Fernández Ramírez, Luis Miguel Catalão, João P.S. http://hdl.handle.net/10498/38597 2026-02-11T01:09:00Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Dynamic adaptive model predictive control for prosumers-based energy communities Horrillo Quintero, Pablo; García Triviño, Pablo; Santos, Sérgio F.; Carrasco González, David; Fernández Ramírez, Luis Miguel; Catalão, João P.S. Energy communities (ECs) offer a significant opportunity for decentralised energy production. However, realising their full potential is hindered by the significant challenge of managing the high volatility of renewable energy technologies (RETs) and dynamic electricity markets. To address this, the present work introduces a novel dynamic adaptive model predictive control (AMPC) framework designed to simultaneously reduce costs, minimise losses, and enhance RET integration in prosumer-based ECs. The methodology is built upon a high-fidelity dynamic model of the EC, operating with a 50 μs time step to accurately capture the switching dynamics of power electronics and ensure a realistic representation of system behaviour. The key innovation lies in the dynamic adaptation of AMPC weights and power constraints, enabling seamless transitions between a self-sufficiency mode during high-price periods and an economically optimised grid-interactive mode during favourable market conditions. The performance of the AMPC is rigorously benchmarked against fixed MPC strategies and the particle swarm optimisation (PSO) algorithm. The results demonstrate the profound superiority of the adaptive approach, showing reductions in operational costs and power losses of 6.13% to 44.92%, without compromising sustainability. The AMPC's average RET utilisation of 79.31% was superior to that of the fixed-MPC strategies, with improvements ranging from 0.45% to 13.34%. Furthermore, it demonstrated a highly efficient balance against the metaheuristic approach, where a minor 2.53% difference in utilisation was exchanged for significant gains in cost and efficiency. Finally, compared with an adaptive PSO strategy, it reduces 120% power losses and increases 28.33% the capacity utilisation. These results demonstrate a superior framework for achieving a costeffective, efficient, and sustainable operation.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Carrasco González, David Sarrias Mena, Raúl Horrillo Quintero, Pablo Llorens Iborra, Francisco Fernández Ramírez, Luis Miguel http://hdl.handle.net/10498/38326 2026-01-15T01:01:48Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Development and experimental validation of a low-cost, real-time energy management system for microgrid clusters, based on electricity price and state of charge of hybrid energy storage systems Carrasco González, David; Sarrias Mena, Raúl; Horrillo Quintero, Pablo; Llorens Iborra, Francisco; Fernández Ramírez, Luis Miguel Microgrid clusters (MGCs) are gaining popularity for enhancing energy efficiency, resilience, and reliability by integrating power generation, consumption, and storage elements, including DC/AC technologies. However, their expanding use requires the development of new validation techniques to ensure real-world operation. This article contributes to this effort by presenting, implementing and experimentally validating via a hardware-inthe-loop (HIL) setup, a novel control system for an MGC, deployed on a Raspberry Pi board, which is more economical compared to industrial controllers. The HIL setup comprises an OPAL-RT emulator and the Raspberry Pi board, enabling real-time testing under various operating regimes. This MGC comprises two MGs interconnected to a main grid: a DC MG incorporating DC loads, a wind turbine, fuel cell, an electrolyzer, and an ultracapacitor; and an AC MG comprising AC loads, battery bank, and a photovoltaic generator. The control system uses individual device controllers and a centralized energy management system (EMS) that dynamically controls MGC components, considering the electricity grid price and the state of charge (SOC) of the ESSs. The experimental results demonstrate a robust performance of the MGC and the control system while ensuring a safe SOC in the ESSs. Additionally, the control system demonstrates significant reductions in the electricity costs and in CO2 emissions compared to a fuzzy-logic EMS across a 24-hour test under realistic scenarios, and a short 20-second test. Therefore, the results demonstrate that the proposed solution provides a cost-effective, responsive, adaptable, scalable and practical solution for real-time energy coordination in MGCs.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z