This study develops a robust modelling and optimization framework for a hybrid photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy systems through a comparative techno-economic and environmental analysis of Ankara, T & uuml;rkiye, and Fujairah, UAE, two climatically distinct regions with strong renewable energy potential. Utilizing a multi-tool approach integrating Python-based simulations, HOMER Pro analysis, and PVWatts benchmarking, the study evaluates energy generation, seasonal load matching, economic feasibility, and carbon mitigation. Key metrics, including levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), capacity factors, and system losses, were analysed to identify optimal system configurations under site-specific constraints. Fujairah demonstrated stronger renewable energy potential overall, with both higher solar irradiance and superior wind resources. It achieved approximately 8,902 MWh of annual solar energy (HOMER Pro) with LCOE values ranging from 0.085 to 0.12 USD/kWh. However, system design in Ankara strategically relied more heavily on wind energy due to its relatively lower solar resource, leading to a wind capacity factor of 47.8% and an annual wind energy production of 7,595.83 MWh (HOMER Pro), despite higher associated LCOE values (0.15 to 0.29 USD/kWh). Modelling comparisons revealed that Python-based outputs, 8,126.76 MWh for Ankara and 9,017.15 MWh for Fujairah, tended to overestimate energy production by not fully incorporating real-world derating factors, unlike HOMER Pro's more conservative estimates. Environmental analysis confirmed notable carbon mitigation benefits, with Fujairah achieving 7,729 metric tons of CO2 offset annually, slightly surpassing Ankara due to a higher grid emission factor. This work fills a critical gap in the literature by providing a high-resolution, cross-regional evaluation of hybrid renewable systems. It demonstrates the importance of localized design, real-world constraints, and multi-platform validation to guide efficient renewable energy deployment, providing a reproducible and scalable methodological framework for hybrid energy studies worldwide.

The geometric freedom afforded by Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is increasingly driving the use of superalloy in advanced engineering applications. However, defects inherent to SLM, such as microsegregation, unmelted particles, and microporosity, weaken the alloy's passive film continuity in chloride-containing environments, limiting its corrosion resistance. In this study, the microstructural evolution and electrochemical corrosion behavior of boron-aluminide coatings grown on SLM-Inconel 718 alloy through aluminizing (SSA), boronizing (SSB), simultaneous boroaluminizing (CBA), and sequential aluminizing-boronizing (SAB) and boronizing-aluminizing (SBA) processes were comparatively investigated. The coatings were applied at 980 °C using the pack boronizing/aluminizing method, and phase formations were analyzed by XRD, while layer morphology and elemental distributions were analyzed by SEM-EDS. Multiphase aluminide structures containing NiAl, Ni₃Al, FeAl₂, and Al₂O₃ were observed in the aluminizing process; Ni₂B, CrB, and FeB boride zones were observed in the boronizing process; and boride-aluminide mixture phases grown with varying degrees of homogeneity and continuity in the CBA, SAB and SBA processes. Layer continuity was most compact in the CBA and most disordered in the SAB. OCP and Tafel tests in 3.5% NaCl solution showed that corrosion behavior is directly related to layer integrity and porosity. According to the quantitative results, the corrosion current density was as follows: SBA < CBA < SSA < SSB < as-built IN718 < SAB. The highest performance was achieved in the SBA coating, with Icorr values ​​of 1.73 × 10⁻⁶ A/cm² and Rp of 3.06 × 10⁴ Ω being achieved thanks to the synergistic effect of the mechanical stability of the boride layer and the dense and adherent Al₂O₃ barrier formed by aluminizing processes.

The AIM (Advancing Inclusive Mentorship Programs for Higher Education Level) project was designed to address the underrepresentation of diverse groups in entrepreneurship by promoting inclusive mentorship practices across various industries. This study provides an in-depth analysis of the project’s key activities and results, including the development of tailored mentoring programs, the implementation of surveys to assess mentorship experiences, webinars and the outcomes of a broad Mentorship Program. Out of 114 participants, the results demonstrate the positive impact of inclusive mentorship on mentees’ entrepreneurial journeys, highlighting improvements in skill development, confidence, and access to resources. The study also identifies best practices for mentors and organizations to support diverse entrepreneurs effectively. These findings contribute to the growing body of research on diversity and inclusion in entrepreneurship, offering practical recommendations for enhancing mentorship programs globally.

This study assessed the environmental impact of two novel photovoltaic and thermal (PVT) collector prototypes developed within the PVT4EU project: a polymer-based retrofit solution (V1 PVT-SP) for upgrading existing PV panels, and a low-concentration CPC-based system (V1 PVT-MG) designed for highertemperature applications up to 140°C. Life cycle assessment following a cradle-to-grave analysis of these collectors using OpenLCA software and Ecoinvent database demonstrated low carbon emissions of 16.51 kg CO₂-eq/m² with 100% water and 18.49 kg CO₂-eq/m² using a 40% glycol-water mixture as HTF, and an EPBT of 1.04 and 1.44 years, respectively, for V1 PVT-SP. Similarly, V1 PVT-MG has a carbon emission of 539.6 kg CO₂-eq/m² and an Energy Payback Time (EPBT) of 6.34 years. The study identifies design improvements for both technologies, emphasizing material optimization, modularity, and supply chain efficiency to enhance sustainability. These findings provide critical insights into advancing PVT systems in resilient energy infrastructures and help policymakers compare PVT systems with conventional energy solutions.

The demand for corrosion-resistant and mechanically reliable metallic components in marine, chemical processing, and energy conversion industries has encouraged the integration of additive manufacturing into industrial production. Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing enables the fabrication of medium- to large-scale complex metallic structures at low cost; however, the high thermal input and layer-by-layer deposition commonly lead to elemental segregation, porosity, and nonuniform microstructures that degrade corrosion performance. This study investigates the influence of a post-deposition aluminizing treatment on the surface characteristics and corrosion behavior of stainless steel ER307 and nickel-based superalloy Inconel 625 produced by Wire Arc Directed Energy Deposition. Microstructural evolution, phase transformation, hardness distribution, and corrosion behavior in a 3.5% sodium chloride environment were examined through microscopy, X-ray diffraction, hardness testing, and electrochemical analysis. The aluminizing process generated localized surface porosity and limited non-uniformity aluminide coatings of approximately 40–50 μm thickness, reduced surface roughness, and markedly improved surface hardness. Electrochemical assessments demonstrated substantial enhancements in corrosion resistance, including a 2.3-fold improvement for stainless steel and a 13.9-fold improvement for Inconel 625. These findings reveal that post-deposition aluminizing effectively mitigates intrinsic surface defects and microchemical heterogeneity, enabling significantly improved durability in chloride-containing environments. This work provides a straightforward and scalable strategy for enhancing the corrosion resistance of wire-arc-manufactured metallic structures and promotes their application in aggressive service conditions.

This study investigates the feasibility of reutilising waste heat from data centres (DCs) for district heating (DH) networks, focusing on a case study in Turkey. As DCs continue to expand globally, their significant energy consumption, particularly for cooling, presents both a challenge and an opportunity for sustainable energy solutions. The research evaluates the technical, economic, and environmental viability of integrating DC waste heat into DH systems using a MATLAB-based simulation tool. Key parameters such as server efficiency, heat exchanger performance, and network losses are analysed to determine the potential for heat recovery. Economic assessments include calculations of the Return on Investment and Payback Period, while environmental benefits are quantified through reductions in CO₂ emissions. The results indicate that while the system offers technical and environmental benefits by recovering 78,358 kWh of heat annually and reducing CO₂ emissions by 15,672 kg. However, its economic viability is low, with a 66.3-year payback period. This study concludes that for such projects to be successful, they must be implemented under optimal conditions, including using more efficient servers, minimising pipeline distances, and establishing cost-sharing models. The developed MATLAB tool can assess similar future projects to identify optimal locations with a high density of heat consumers.

A correct cold room heat load calculation ensures that the refrigeration system operates efficiently, reducing operating costs while maintaining a constant temperature to prevent stored goods from spoiling. Refrigeration engineers typically use software to size equipment such as expansion devices and evaporators and to estimate heat loads in cold rooms. These tools are available for free from refrigeration manufacturers or can be purchased from software developers. Although practical and easy to use, most of these programs do not follow the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)-recommended approach for estimating heat loads. This article evaluates heat transfer mechanisms, especially natural convection in a refrigerator, through experimental and CFD simulations. Depending on the expression used, the estimated convection heat flux at the evaporator ranged from 5.3 W to 14.2 W in case 0-N, 7.7 W to 25.1 W in case -10-N, and 5.1 W to 22.4 W in case 0-Y. Compared to convective heat transfer, radiation heat flux estimations are often more consistent across different expressions. The results from validated simulations were used to assess the performance of cold room heat load estimation software. Differences of up to 236% in heat load estimates were reported between the results.

Concentrating photovoltaic-thermal (CPVT) collectors use reflective surfaces to focus sunlight onto a smaller receiver area, increasing thermal energy output while maintaining annual energy efficiency. Ray-tracing simulations are employed in this study using Tonatiuh to optimise the characteristics of the Double MaReCo (DM) collector, which is an improved version of the commercially available Solarus Power Collector (PC). Focused on enhancing electrical performance, the photovoltaic (PV) cell configurations are varied on the bottom side of the receiver, while the top-side PV cells remain constant. The study also analyses the influence of diodes and transparent gables on the annual solar irradiance received by the PV cells. From the analysis, it is observed that the specific annual irradiance received by the PV cells in the DM collector with transparent gables is nearly 64% more compared to that of the PC counterpart. It is also observed that the transparency of gables becomes significant only when the whole area of the receiver is covered by PV cells. With the goal of improving performance while lowering the cost and complexity of the DM collector, the study investigates various collector design characteristics that may shed more light on optimising the current model.

This paper presents a computational performance analysis of the photovoltaic (PV) cell string configuration of a concentrating photovoltaic thermal (CPVT) collector. It is observed that the bottom PV cells of the receiver are significantly impacted by shading, and the performance degrades at elevated temperatures. Shading analysis reveals partial shading in certain cases, while other scenarios show complete shading of all bottom-side PV cells. Additionally, simulations reveal that elevated temperatures cause significant performance degradation in these PV cells, highlighting the need to reconsider existing PV cell technology and potentially replace it with more advanced alternatives. The findings from this study are expected to provide insights into strategies for mitigating the adverse effects of shading and temperature-related performance losses, contributing to the development of more efficient PV cell string configuration designs for CPVT systems. This research will inform future optimization approaches to enhance the overall performance and reliability of such collectors. 

Photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) solar collector technologies are considered a highly efficient solution for sustainable energy generation, capable of producing electricity and heat simultaneously. This paper reviews and discusses different aspects of PVT collectors, including fundamental principles, materials, diverse classifications, such as air-type and water-type, and different cooling mechanisms to boost their performance, such as nano-fluids, Phase Change Materials (PCMs), and Thermoelectric Generators (TEGs). At the system level, this paper analyses PVT technologies' integration in buildings and industrial applications and gives a comprehensive market overview. The methodology focused on evaluating advancements in design, thermal management, and overall system efficiency based on existing literature published from 2010 to 2025. From the findings of various studies, water-based PVT systems provide electrical efficiencies ranging from 8% to 22% and thermal efficiencies between 30% and 70%, which are almost always higher than air-based alternatives. Innovations, including nanofluids, phase change materials, and hybrid topologies, have improved energy conversion and storage. Market data indicates growing adoption in Europe and Asia, stressing significant investments led by Sunmaxx, Abora Solar, Naked Energy, and DualSun. Nonetheless, obstacles to PVT arise regarding aspects such as cost, design complexity, lack of awareness, and economic incentives. According to the findings of this study, additional research is required to reduce the operational expenses of such systems, improve system integration, and build supportive policy frameworks. This paper offers guidance on PVT technologies and how they can be integrated into different setups based on current normativity and regulatory frameworks.