Solar Energy

Shubhajit Basak(Roll no.11) Saumik Bhattyacharya(Roll no.17) Debraj Biswas( Roll no.20)

E.C.E, 2nd YEAR , Sec-A

B.P.P.I.M.T

What is Solar Energy?

The most precise Solar Energy definition : Energy from the sun. But what is solar energy really? There are two types of solar energy: Thermal Energy & Electric Energy Thermal Energy: Thermal Energy is everywhere. Its lights up our days. It heats the earth, our bodies and our homes. It dries our clothes . All for free! Electric Energy: Electric Energy uses the power of the sun to produce electricity through solar cells, otherwise known as Photovoltaics (PV).

The Sun

Diameter: 1.39E9 m (120 x greater than earth) Distance from earth = 1.495E11 m (93 million miles) 1.7% Center: Density 100 x density of water and T>1E6 K Powered by hydrogen fusion Composed of layers. The outer layer is the photosphere Effective blackbody temperature of 5777 K
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Why Solar Energy

World Energy Conservation predicted estimation about the rate of utilization of energy resources shows that the coal deposits will deplete within the next 200 to 300 years and petroleum deposits will deplete in next few decades The most advantage using Solar Energy is that this is distributed over a wide geographical area, ensuring that developing regions such as India have access to electricity generation at a stable cost for the long-term future The huge consumption of fossil fuels has caused visible damage to the environment in various forms

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Importance of Solar Energy

The following table shows the amount of carbon and sulphur deposited in the atmosphere
S. No
1.
2. 3.

Activity
Human Vehicle, Waste product etc
Fossil fuels Deforestation and forest firing

Amount deposited in the atmosphere

8 billion tones
6.5 million tones 1.5 million tones

At present so many alternative fuels have been developed, still they are able to meet only a small proportion of our actual demand - The right fuel mix
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Solar Radiation
Solar Radiation Components Ultra-Violet (200nm to 400nm) 8.7% Visible (400nm to 700nm) 36.2% Infra-red (700nm to 2500nm) 53.1%

Near infra-red (700nm to 1100nm) 28.1% Infrared/far-infrared (above 1100nm) 25.4%

Silicon PV efficient Uses
Regions Only heating or Thermo
Photo Voltaic

Solar Radiation Level Average radiation outer space 136.7mw/sq.cm

Voltaic Form of radiation: Diffused or Beamed

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Radiation on Earth surface 107mw/sq.cm Ref: Thekaekara 1977

Current solar energy consumption

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HISTORICAL MILESTONES

1838 - Edmund Becquerel observed materials which turn light into energy 1876 - 78 - William Adams, wrote the first book about Solar Energy called: A Substitute for Fuel in Tropical Countries and was able to power a 2.5 horsepower steam engine 1860- Auguste Mouchout, used direct conversion of solar radiation into mechanical power. 1895 - Aubrey Eneas formed the first Solar Energy company 1904 - Henry Willsie built 2 huge plants in California to store generated power. He was the first to successfully use power at night after generating it during the day

Mouchouts Solar collector

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HISTORICAL MILESTONES
1954 -Calvin Fuller, Gerald Pearson and Daryl Chaplin of Bell Laboratories discovered the use of silicon as a semi-conductor, which led to the construction of a solar panel with an efficiency rate of 6%. 1956 -The first commercial solar cell was made available to the public at a very expensive $300 per watt 1958- Vanguard I the first satellite was launched that used solar energy to generate electricity. 1970- The Energy Crisis ! (OPEC oil embargo) Solar energy history was made as the price of solar cells dropped dramatically to about $20 per watt.
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Discover Solar Panels HOW IT WORKS

1) Sunlight hit the solar panel (photovoltaic/ PV) and absorbed by semi-conducting materials such as silicone.

2) Electrons are knocked loose from their atoms, which allow them to flow through the material to produce electricity. This process is called the photovoltaic (PV) effect.

3) An array of solar panels converts solar energy into DC (direct current) electricity.
4) The DC electricity enters an inverter.

5) The inverter turns DC electricity into 120-volt AC (alternating current) 6) The AC power enters the utility panel in the house. 7) The electricity (load) is then distributed to appliances or lights in the house.

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Discover Solar Panels HOW IT WORKS

8) When more solar energy is generated it can be stored in a battery as DC electricity and will continue to supply your home with electricity in the event of a power blackout or at nighttime. 9) When the battery is full the excess electricity can be exported back into the utility grid, if your system is connected to it.

10) Utility supplied electricity can also be drawn form the grid when not enough solar energy is produced
11) The flow of electricity in and out of the utility grid is measured by a utility meter, which spins backwards (when you are producing more energy that you need) and forward (when you require additional electricity from the utility company). The two are offset ensuring that you only pay for the additional energy you use from the utility company. This system is referred to as "netmetering".

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Solar Photovolatics in India

Begun as far back as in the mid 70s solar photovoltics programme of the Government of India is one of the largest in the World Reliefs offered by government on SPV manufacturers and users of SPV based products : * 100% depreciation in the first year of installation of the systems * No excise duty for manufacturers * Low import tariff for several raw materials and components * Soft loans to users, intermediaries and manufacturers.

Postage Stamp published By India Government

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Solar Photovolatics in India (contd)

Promoting use of PV technology to Provide Lighting in Villages in the form of :

Systems
Community lighting systems
Portable solar lanterns Street lights

Capacity
1KW to 2.5 KW
10Wp SPV module 75Wp SPV module

Uses
Small household lighting system

lighting 7 W CFL lamp for 3 hours a day Charging 100-130AH battery to run a 11W CFL lamp for dusk to dawn operation powering two CFLs -- 9 or 11W , work 4-5 hours /day, run a small TV set or a fan shallow pumping

Fixed home lighting systems

35-50Wp SPV module

Water Pumping

1KW DC motor

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PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF SOLAR ENERGY

Solar powered Auto Rickshaw

NASA designed Solar powered vehicle- HELIOS

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PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF SOLAR ENERGY

Semi autonomous War machine- Odysseus

Solar car- Quant

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PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF SOLAR ENERGY Solar street light

Solar cooker used in Rural India

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Solar Energy Advantages

Saves you money After the initial investment has been recovered, the energy from the sun is practically FREE. Financial incentives are available form the government that will reduce your cost. Environment friendly It's not affected by the supply and demand of fuel and is therefore not subjected to the ever-increasing price of gasoline. Solar Energy is clean, renewable (unlike gas, oil and coal), sustainable and helping to protect our environment. As we see previously ,it does no pollute air. Therefore Solar Energy does not contribute to global warming, acid rain or smog. It actively contributes to the decrease of harmful green house gas emissions. By not using any fuel, Solar Energy does not contribute to the cost and problems of the recovery and transportation of fuel or the storage of radioactive waste.
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Solar Energy Advantages (contd)

Low/ no maintenance Solar Energy systems are virtually maintenance free and will last for decades. Once installed, there are no recurring costs. They operate silently, have no moving parts, do not release offensive smells and do not require you to add any fuel. More solar panels can easily be added in the future when your family's needs grow.

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Solar Energy- Main Drawbacks

The initial cost is the main disadvantage of installing a solar energy system, largely because of the high cost of the semi-conducting materials used in building one. The cost of solar energy is also high compared to non-renewable utility-supplied electricity. Solar panels require quite a large area for installation to achieve a good level of efficiency. The efficiency of the system also relies on the location of the sun, although this problem can be overcome with the installation of certain components. The production of solar energy is influenced by the presence of clouds or pollution in the air. Similarly, no solar energy will be produced during nighttime although a battery backup system and/or net metering will solve this problem. As far as solar powered cars go - their slower speed might not appeal to everyone caught up in today's rat race.
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FINAL VERDICT
A 1-kilowatt home solar system will prevent approximately 170 lbs. of coal from being burned, 300 lbs of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere and 105 gallons of water from being consumed each month!
Tools For Adoption & Acceleration Solar Energy Collector

Penalizing extractive and polluting fossil-fuel energy

Create Incentives
Feed-in tariffs Net metering Rebates Consumer tax deductions Production Tax credits

Solar Dish

Invest in R&D
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Can solar do it all?

No! But it can do much more than it does now. Old guys dont know about solar design. It is up to the New Graduates to promote solar.
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Thank You