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Analysis of institutional authors

Quijano, AntonioAuthorLorenzo, CelenaCorresponding AuthorNarvarte, LuisAuthor

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October 15, 2024
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Technical Evaluation of a Stand-Alone Photovoltaic Heat Pump Dryer without Batteries

Publicated to: Energies. 17 (18): 4612- - 2024-09-01 17(18), DOI: 10.3390/en17184612

Authors:

Quijano, A; Lorenzo, C; Berlanga, A; Narvarte, L
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Affiliations

GENAQ, Cordoba, Spain - Author
Univ Politecn Madrid, Inst Energia Solar, Madrid 28031, Spain - Author

Abstract

This paper presents the results of the technical validation of an innovative prototype for drying alfalfa bales. It is based on a 4.1 kW Heat Pump (HP) that uses an advanced technology (optimized for extracting the humidity from the air) and is directly powered by a 6.6 kWp PV generator without grid or batteries support. The main technical challenges of this work were managing solar irradiance fluctuations due to cloud-passing and achieving good drying efficiency. The prototype has been validated for two consecutive drying campaigns in La Rioja (Spain). There were no abrupt stops generated by cloud-passing. The PRPV, which evaluates the performance of the PV system only during the periods when the PV energy can be used by the HP unit, presented values of 0.82 and 0.85, comparable to a well-performing grid-connected PV system. Although the bales' initial relative humidity (RH) ranged from 18 to 30%, all but one of them presented a final RH below 16%, which is the limit point to avoid fermentation. The drying times ranged from 1 to 5 h, and the specific energy consumption per liter of water extracted, from 0.7 to 1.46 kWh/L. These values are comparable to traditional diesel and grid-powered systems. It is worth noting that the agricultural drying market represented USD 1.7 billion in 2023.
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Keywords

Advanced technologyAir source heat pumpsDiesel enginesDryerDryers (equipment)EnergFertilizersHeat pumpHeat pump dryerHeat pumpsPhotovoltaicPhotovoltaicsPumpsPv generatorsStand -aloneStand-alone photovoltaic heat pumStand-alone photovoltaic heat pumpSystemsTechnical evaluation

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Energies due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency Scopus (SJR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2024 there are still no calculated indicators, but in 2023, it was in position , thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Engineering (Miscellaneous).

Independientemente del impacto esperado determinado por el canal de difusión, es importante destacar el impacto real observado de la propia aportación.

Según las diferentes agencias de indexación, el número de citas acumuladas por esta publicación hasta la fecha 2025-12-21:

  • Scopus: 1
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Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-12-21:

  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 3 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

    It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

    • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.
    • Assignment of a Handle/URN as an identifier within the deposit in the Institutional Repository: https://oa.upm.es/89326/

    As a result of the publication of the work in the institutional repository, statistical usage data has been obtained that reflects its impact. In terms of dissemination, we can state that, as of

    • Views: 84
    • Downloads: 32
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    Leadership analysis of institutional authors

    There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (QUIJANO GONZALEZ, ANTONIO) and Last Author (NARVARTE FERNANDEZ, LUIS).

    the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been LORENZO NAVARRO, CELENA.

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    Awards linked to the item

    Gobierno de La Rioja (23M20).
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