Development of a Small Aquavoltaic System for Co-Production of Microalgae and Electricity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52825/agripv.v3i.1341Keywords:
Aquavoltaic, Raceway Open Pond, Dissolved OxygenAbstract
In this study, a small aquavoltaic system was developed to simultaneously generate solar electricity and improve the conditions for the cultivation of microalgae. The key operating parameters of the system — dissolved oxygen, pH, water temperature and dead zones — were evaluated to gain insights into the dual benefits of integrating solar energy into aquaculture systems. In this context, the independent variable parameters of the rotation speed of a paddle wheel in the pond at 10, 20, and 30 rpm, the water depth at 15, 25, and 35 cm, and the reaction time at 0.5, 1 and 1.5 h were evaluated on May 9-15, 2023. The Response Surface Methodology, the Central Composite Design, and the experimental design were used to optimize the independent variables on the amount of dissolved oxygen for microalgae production in the open raceway pond. In this case, a maximum dissolved oxygen of 6.94 mg/l was achieved after 1 hour, at a water depth of 25 cm, and at a rotation speed of 20 rpm. Increasing the rotation speed from 10 to 30 rpm brought the dissolved oxygen content in the water to the desirable range of 6 to 7 mg/l and resulted in a decrease in stagnant areas from 21.05% to 9.16%. In addition, the shading effect of the photovoltaic system on the open pond was more than 80%, which led to a decrease in water temperature and dissolved oxygen.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Hooman Pirtaj Hamedani, Shiva Gorjian, Barat Ghobadian
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Accepted 2025-01-12
Published 2025-02-24