Date: October 22, 2008To: Thalia Anagnos, ProfessorFrom: Silicon Gal, studentSubject: Evaluation of a technical article from Renewable EnergyIntroduction:The purpose of this memo is to provide an evaluation of an article from a professional journal. The article is called “Improving the effectiveness of a photovoltaic water pumping system by spraying water over the front of photovoltaic cells.” This article is written by M. Abdolzadeh andM. Ameri, both of whom work at the Shahid Bahonar University located in Kerman, Iran. The article was published on June 24, 2008 in the journal Renewable Energy. This article explains how spraying water on photovoltaic (PV) cells increases the efficiency of photovoltaic water pumping system. The water decreases the temperature of the PV cells and causes less light reflection. With these changes, the power of the PV cells increases and thus, the water pumping system performs more effectively. I found this article on Science Direct, an electronic database that carries scientific and technological articles, by searching for articles related to PV cells. I chose to write an analysis on this article because I am interested in alternative energy sources, primarily solar. PV cells are one way to extract solar power and a lot of research is being conducted to improve their performance. To learn more about PV cells and the different methods that are being proposed to increase their efficiency, I chose this article for my assignment. Analysis:This professional article proposes a method for increasing the efficiency of photovoltaic water pumping system. The intended audience for the article includes professionals and university students in the field of engineering and science. The terminology used in the article is comprehensible for the intended audience. The terms that are associated with the study are clearly defined. Further, long terms are provided acronyms so that the article is more legible. The first main element in the article is the abstract, which provides the main points of the article. First, it introduces the main problem associated with the PV cells. This is the need for PV cells toremain within a specific range of temperature to function well. The purpose of the experiment and the results are also briefly listed. Then, the conclusion, which claims that the efficiency of PV cells is increased by spraying water over them, is stated. Overall, the abstract provides a briefsummary of the whole article. It is helpful because if the reader is interested to learn more about the study after reading the abstract, the reader may do so. The abstract is located in the right handside of the first page and is separated from the rest of the text with white space. This helps to draw the attention to the abstract so that the reader can read it before reading the rest of the text. The introduction provides the background information related to the study of the effect of spraying water on the efficiency of PV cells. At first, the authors address the importance of improving the efficiency of PV cells. This point is greatly emphasized so that the reader can grasp this as a major issue. This technique is advantageous because the rest of the article is related to increasing the efficiency of PV cells and thus, supports this major issue. The two main problems that are not allowing the PV cells to extract a lot of power are stated. Also, the study of spraying water on the efficiency of PV cells is mentioned. The two problems and the study form the three main components of the body section and are clearly mentioned in the introduction.Memo to AnagnosPage 2October 22, 2008They are listed in the order in which they are thoroughly discussed in the body section. Hence, this technique provides the reader with a general idea of the flow of the article. One paragraph of the introduction includes some other studies that have been conducted to improve the efficiency of PV cells. These studies, having been performed by other researchers, are listed in series. Since the list is long, it is difficult for the reader to interpret all the studies andtheir outcomes. It is better for the author to briefly explain only a few of the studies that are mostrelevant to this specific article or list the studies in a bullet format. This will make this other research easier for the readers to interpret.In the body section of the article, the authors include a clear description of the methods undertaken to perform the experiment. The steps for the procedures are clearly explained in order. A detailed diagram of the equipment used to perform the experiment is included. The diagram includes the names and the figures of each component that were used for the study. This diagram allows the reader to understand the equipment used for conducting the experiment. Further, the conditions under which the experiment was performed are also listed. Hence, the details on the equipment and the conditions under which the experiment was performed help the reader visualize the setting of the study. These details also allow another individual to repeat the experiment in order to verify the conclusions. The analysis of the study is also present in the body section. The analysis is divided into three parts: effect of the decrease in temperature on PV cells, effect of less light reflection on PV cells, and the results of the experiment. The first two parts explain the advantages behind spraying water on PV cells. The third part presents the results and reiterates the advantages associated with spraying water on the photovoltaic water pumping system. This approach offers a high degree of readability. Since the reader first learns about the scientific reasons concerning the use of sprayed water, the results become more comprehensible. This is because the reader knows what to expect in the results and thus, the results become clear. In the results section, graphics are extensively used. Eight graphs illustrate the differences in the performances of the two types of cells: sprayed and non-sprayed. All of the graphs demonstrate that cells that are sprayed with water perform better than the ones that are not sprayed. The dependent variable for these graphs is the time of the day. Thus, these graphs not only illustrate the relationship between the two types of cells and various variables, such as temperature, power,and current, but also the differences in the progress of the two types of cells throughout the day. These