UNIT-1(Principles of Solar Radiation)

Contents: 1. Introduction and Physics of the sun 2. The solar constant 3. Extraterrestrial and terrestrial solar radiation 4. Solar radiation on titled surface 5. Instruments for measuring solar radiation and sunshine 6. Solar radiation data Introduction and Physics of the sun: Energy is basically the capacity of a body to do work. The different forms of energy are: Mechanical energy, Thermal (or) Heat energy, Chemical energy, Electrical energy Nuclear energy, Electromagnetic energy, Gravitational energy. The S.I unit of energy is Joule. There are 2 types of energy sources: conventional energy sources and non conventional energy sources. Conventional energy sources include fossil fuel energy and nuclear energy. It is a non-renewable source of energy. Non conventional energy sources include wind energy, tidal energy, solar energy, bio energy & fuel cell energy. It is renewable source of energy.
Non-Conventional Energy Sources:

The sources of energy which are being produced continuously in nature and are in exhaustible are called renewable sources of energy (or) non-conventional energy. Some of these sources are: (a) Wind energy (b) Tidal energy & Ocean Energy (c) Solar energy (D) Bio-mass Energy & Bio-Fuel Cell Energy. 1. Physics of the sun The energy that is produced from sun is known as solar energy. The Suns energy comes from nuclear fusion reaction that takes place deep in the sun, where hydrogen nucleus fuses into helium nucleus. When such a reaction takes place then tremendous amount

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of energy is produced this is escaped into the space. About 15% of suns energy is absorbed by earths atmosphere, some part is absorbed by earths surface and rest is reflected back to space. solar energy ,received in the form of radiation , can be converted
directly or indirectly into other Forms of energy , such as heat and electricity , which can be utilized by man. Solar energy is Inexhaustible source of useful energy. Draw backs:

o The intermittent and variable manner in which it arrives at the earths surface and o The large area required to collect the energy at a useful rate. Solar energy is sometimes called radiant energy. These are different kinds of radiant energy emitted by sun. The most important are light infrared rays. Ultra violet rays, and X- Rays. The sun is a large sphere of very hot gases. Its diameter is 1.39x106KM. While that of the earth is 1.27x104 KM. The mean distance between the two is 1.5x108KM. The beam radiation received from the sun on the earth is reflected in to space, another 15% is absorbed by the earth atmosphere and the rest is absorbed by the earths surface. This absorbed radiation consists of light and infrared radiation without which the earth would be barren. All life on the earth depends on solar energy. Green plants make food by means of photosynthesis. Light is essential from in this process to take place. This light usually comes from sun. Animal get their food from plants or by eating other animals that feed on plants. Plants and animals also need some heat to stay alive. Thus plants are store houses of solar energy. The solar energy that falls on India in one minute is enough to supply the energy needs of our country for one day. Man has made very little use of this enormous amount of solar energy that reaches the earth.

2. Solar Constant:
The sun is a large sphere of very hot gases, the heat being generated by various kinds of fusion reactions. Its diameter is 1.39x106 KM. While that of the earth is 1.27x104 KM. The mean distance between the two is 1.50x108KM. Although the sun is large, it subtends an angle of only 32 minutes at the earths surface. This is because it is also a very large distance. Thus the beam radiation received from the sun on the earth is almost parallel. The brightness of the sun varies from its center to its edge. However for engineering calculations, it is customary to assume that the brightness all over the solar disc in uniform. As viewed from the earth, the radiation coming from the sun appears to be essentially equivalent to that coming from a back surface at 5762ok.
The rate at which solar energy arrives at the top of the atmosphere is called solar Constant

Isc. This is the amount of energy received in unit time on a unit area perpendicular to the
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suns direction at the mean distance of the earth from the sun. Because of the suns distance and activity vary throughout the year, the rate of arrival of solar constant is thus an average from which the actual values vary up to 3 percent in either direction. The National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA) standard value the solar constant, expressed in three common units, is as follows: (i) 1.353 kilowatts per square meter (ii) 116.5 Langleys per hour (1 langely being equal to 1cal/cm2 of solar radiation received in one day) (iii) 429.2 Btu per Sqr.ft. per hour.
The distance between the earth and the sun varies a little through the year. Because of this variation, the extra terrestrial flux also varies. The earth is closest to the sun in the summer and farthest away in the winter. This variation in the Intensity of solar radiation (I) that reaches the earth. This can be approximated by the equation.

Where n is the day of the year.

1. Irradiance is a measurement of solar power and is defined as the rate at which solar energy falls onto a surface. The unit of power is the Watt (abbreviated W). 2. In the case of solar irradiance we usually measure the power per unit area, so irradiance is typically quoted as W/m - that is Watts per square meter. 3. The irradiance falling on a surface can and does vary from moment to moment which is why it is important to remember that irradiance is a measure of power the rate that energy is falling, not the total amount of energy. 4. The total amount of solar energy that falls over a given time is called the insolation. Insolation is a measure of energy. It is the power of the sun added up over some time period. 5. Now here comes the confusing part. If the sun shines at a constant 1000 W/m for one hour, we say it has delivered 1 kWh/m of energy. 6. The amount of power is the product of the power (1000 W/m) times the length of time (1 hour) and the unit of energy is the kWh. Insolation (measured in kWh) is not the same as power (measured in kW) in the same way that miles per hour is not the same as miles.
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3. Solar Radiation at the Earths Surface: ( Extraterrestrial and terrestrial solar radiation): The solar radiation that penetrates the earths atmosphere and reaches the surface differs in both amount and character from the radiation at the top of the atmosphere. In the first place. Part of the radiation is reflected back in to the space, especially by clouds.

Furthermore, the radiation entering the atmosphere is partly absorbed by molecules in the air. Oxygen and Ozone (o3), formed from oxygen, absorb nearly all the Ultraviolet radiation, and water vapour and carbon dioxide absorb some of the energy in the infrared range. In addition, part of the solar radiation is scattered (i.e. its direction has been changed) by droplets in clouds by atmosphere molecules, and by dust particles.

Fig 1.1 Solar Radiation at the Earths surface Solar Radiation that has not been absorbed or scattered and reaches the ground directly from the sun is called Direct Radiation or Beam Radiation. Diffuse radiation is that Solar Radiation received from the sun after its direction has been changed by reflection and scattering by the atmosphere. Because of the Solar Radiation is cattered in all directions in the atmosphere, diffuses radiation comes to the earth from all parts of the sky. The sum of the beam and diffuse radiation flux is referred to as total or global radiation. The output of sun is 2.81023KW. The energy reaching the earth is 1.51018

KWH/year. When light travels from outer space to earth, solar energy is lost because of following reasons: a) Scattering: The rays collide with particles present in atmosphere b) Absorption: Because of water vapor there is absorption. c) Cloud cover: The light rays are diffused because of clouds. d) Reflection: When the light rays hit the mountains present on the earth surface there is reflection.

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e) Climate: Latitude of the location, day (time in the year) also affects the amount of solar energy received by the place. f) The above mentioned factors determine the amount of power falling on the surface. The graph shown gives the amount of power present in different wavelengths of radiation. It can be seen from the graph that 50% of solar energy is in the form of thermal energy. Solar PV captures the energy in visible region. Solar thermal captures energy in infrared region.

4.

Solar radiation on titled surface:

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5. Instruments for measuring solar radiation and sunshine

Solar Radiation flux is usually measured with the help of a pyranometer or a Pyrheliometer, sunshine recorder is used for measuring sunshine.

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Fig1.3 Sun Shine Recorder

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6. Solar radiation data

Advantages: 1. Solar energy does not cause pollution. However, solar collectors and other associated equipment / machines are manufactured in factories that in turn cause some pollution. 2. Solar energy is free although there is a cost in the building of collectors and other equipment required to convert solar energy into electricity or hot water. 3. Many everyday items such as calculators and other low power consuming devices can be powered by solar energy effectively. 4. It is estimated that the worlds oil reserves will last for 30 to 40 years. On the other hand, solar energy is infinite (forever).
5. Solar energy is a completely renewable resource. This means that even when we cannot make use of the suns power because of nighttime or cloudy and stormy days, we can always rely on the sun showing up the very next day as a constant and consistent power source. 6. Oil, which is what most people currently use to power their homes, is not a renewable resource. This means that as soon as the oil is gone, it is gone forever and we will no longer have power or energy. 7. Solar cells make absolutely no noise at all. They do not make a single peep while extracting useful energy from the sun. On the other hand, the giant machines utilized for pumping oil are extremely noisy and therefore very impractical.
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8. Solar energy creates absolutely no pollution. This is perhaps the most important advantage that makes solar energy so much more practical than oil. Oil burning releases harmful greenhouses gases, carcinogens and carbon dioxide into our precious air. 9. Very little maintenance is required to keep solar cells running. There are no moving parts in a solar cell, which makes it impossible to really hurt them. Solar cells tend to last a good long time with only an annual cleaning to worry about. 10. Solar panels and solar lighting may seem quite expensive when you first purchase it, but in the long run you will find yourself saving quite a great deal of money. After all, it does not cost anything to harness the power of the sun. Unfortunately, paying for oil is an expensive prospect and the cost is still rising consistently. Why pay for expensive energy when you can harness it freely? 11. Solar powered panels and products are typically extremely easy to install. Wires, cords and power sources are not needed at all, making this an easy prospect to employ. 12. Solar power technology is improving consistently over time, as people begin to understand all of the benefits offered by this incredible technology. As our oil reserves decline, it is important for us to turn to alternative sources for energy.

Disadvantages:
1. The Solar Cells and Solar Panels that are needed to harness solar energy tend to be very expensive when you first purchase them. 2. Solar power cannot be harnessed during a storm, on a cloudy day or at night. This limits how much power can be saved for future days. Some days you may still need to rely on oil to power your home. 3. It requires a large area for the system to be efficient in providing a source of electricity.

4. Solar energy can be used in remote areas where it is too expensive to extend the electricity power grid. APPLICATIONS :( Solar Energy Applications)
1. Heating and cooling of residential building. 2. Solar water heating. 3. Solar drying of agricultural and animal products. 4. Salt production by evaporation of seawater. 5. Solar cookers.
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6. Solar engines for water pumping. I. 7. Solar Refrigeration & Air Conditioning 8. Solar electric power generation. 9. Solar photo voltaic cells, which can be used for electricity. 10. Solar furnaces & High Temperature Melting Of Metals Energy is radiated by the sun as electromagnetic waves of which 99% have wave length in the range of 0.2 to 4.0 micro meters.
Solar Energy Utilization Basic ideas about the pre-historic way of using solar energy: Energy is a common Mans daily commodity: The world energy consumption in 1975 was

8002 million tons of coal equivalents and is expected to shoot up to 27,400 million tons of coal equivalents in the year 2000. It is becoming scarce day by day even then its demand is on the increase. The increased population has led to depletion of energy. The process of mankind has influenced the subsequent exploitation of new sources of energy from time to time. The utilization of coal, the development of hydro electricity, the discovery of oil and gas and the advents of nuclear energy are significantly mile stones in human history. Each new source brought about a preformed change in the life style of the people. Each new source supplemented the other. The size of the balance of fossil fuels will be over within a hundred years. Hence it is essential to tap the other sources of energy to supplement the existing energy demands of all non-conventional energy source, solar energy holds the greatest promise as it is abundant, renewable and pollution free. Its collection, storage on conversion is also easy. Hence worldwide attention is now focused on various methods of utilization of solar energy. All life on the earth depends on solar energy. Green plants make food by means of photosynthesis. Light is essential from in this process to take place. This light usually comes from sun. Animals get their food from plants are store houses of solar energy. The solar energy that falls on India in one minute is enough to supply the energy needs of our country for one day. Man has made very little use of this enormous amount of solar energy. That reaches the earth he has used solar energy indirectly, for many thousands of years. Wind mills which are driven by wind that result from infrared solar energy.

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