SOLAR

ENERGY

THE SUN

The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System and
is by far the most important source of energy for life on
Earth. It is a nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, with
internal convective motion that generates a magnetic field
via a dynamo process. Its diameter is about 109 times
that of Earth, and its mass is about 330,000 times that of
Earth, accounting for about 99.86% of the total mass of
the Solar System. About three quarters of the Sun's mass
consists of hydrogen; the rest is mostly helium, with much
smaller quantities of heavier elements, including oxygen,
carbon, neon, and iron. At any moment, the sun emits
about 3.86 x 1026 watts of energy.
Source of energy in the sun is at its core. This energy is
released into space primarily as electromagnetic
radiation. We experience this radiation as heat and light.

THE SUN

SOLAR ENERGY

Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun

that is harnessed using a range of ever-evolving
technologies such as solar heating, photovoltaic, solar
thermal energy, solar architecture and artificial
photosynthesis.
It is an important source of renewable energy and its
technologies are broadly characterized as either
passive solar or active solar depending on how they
capture and distribute solar energy or convert it into
solar power. Active solar techniques include the use of
photovoltaic systems, concentrated solar power and
solar water heating to harness the energy. Passive
solar techniques include orienting a building to the
Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass
or light-dispersing properties, and designing spaces
that naturally circulate air.

SOLAR ENERGY
Solar energy is the ultimate source of energy from
millions of years and it is a renewable energy.
This energy consists of radiant light and heat
energy from the sun.
Out of all energy emitted by sun only a small
fraction of energy is absorbed by the earth.
Just this tiny fraction of the suns energy that hits
the earth is enough to meet all our power needs.
Using present solar techniques some of the solar
energy reaching the earth is utilized for
generating electricity etc.
Even then the energy demand met by using solar
energy is very less.

HOW WE USE SOLAR ENERGY

There are lots of ways we use solar energy. We
can harness the sun's energy by using solar
collectors. These collectors enable us to use the
heat from the sun to warm our homes and heat
our water. They can be installed anywhere the
sun shines but are usually installed on roofs for
maximum sun exposure.
There are two ways we can produce electricity
from the sun: Photovoltaic Electricity and Solar
Thermal Electricity.

PHOTOVOLTAIC ELECTRICITY

Electricity is produced using photovoltaic cells

that absorb direct sunlight just like the solar cells
you see on some calculators. This is called
Photovoltaic Conversion, which produces a
positive charge (+) and a negative charge (-) to
create an electric current. This current is
transferred to a metal grid and can be used
directly or stored in batteries. The electricity
these solar cells produce can be used for powering
vehicles and satellites, heating and cooling
buildings, heating swimming pools, indoor water
heating and lighting.

SOLAR THERMAL ELECTRICITY

This type of solar power also uses a solar

collector. It has a mirrored surface that reflects
the sunlight onto a receiver that heats up a
liquid. This heated liquid is used to make steam
that produces electricity.

PV CELL

The photovoltaic cell is the basic building block of a PV system.

Individual cells can vary in sizes from about 1cm to about 10 cm
across. Most cells are made with silicon today. Silicon must be
purified. This is one of the biggest expenses in the production of
solar cells.
A slab (or wafer) of pure silicon is used to make a PV cell. The top of
the slab is very thinly diffused with an n dopant, such as
phosphorous. On the base of the slab, a small amount of a p
dopant, typically boron, is diffused. The boron side of the slab is
1,000 times thicker than the phosphorous side. The phosphorous has
one more electron in its outer shell than silicon, and the boron has
one less.
The phosphorous gives the wafer an excess of free electrons; it has a
negative character. This is called the n-type silicon (n = negative).
The n-type silicon is not chargedit has an equal number of protons
and electronsbut some of the electrons are not held tightly to the
atoms. They are free to move to different locations within the layer.

PV CELL

The boron gives the wafer a positive character, which will cause electrons
to flow toward it. The base of the silicon is called p-type silicon (p =
positive). The p-type silicon has an equal number of protons and electrons;
it has a positive character, but not a positive charge.
Where the n-type silicon and p-type silicon meet, free electrons from the ntype flow into the p-type for a split second, then form a barrier to prevent
more electrons from moving between the two sides. This point of contact
and barrier is called the p-n junction.
When both sides of the silicon wafer are doped, there is a negative charge
in the p-type section of the junction and a positive charge in the n-type
section of the junction due to movement of the electrons and holes at the
junction of the two types of materials. This imbalance in electrical charge
at the p-n junction produces an electric field between the p-type and ntype.
If the PV cell is placed in the sun, photons of light strike the electrons in
the p-n junction and energize them, knocking them free of their atoms.
These electrons are attracted to the positive charge in the n-type silicon
and repelled by the negative charge in the p-type silicon.

PV ARRAY COMPONENTS

One PV cell only produces 1 or 2 watts of electricity, which isn't

enough power for most applications.
To increase power, groups of solar cells are electrically connected
and packaged into weather-tight modules and arrays to provide
useful output voltages and currents for a specific power output.
A PV System typically consists of 3 basic components.
PV cells - Electricity is generated by PV cells, the smallest unit
of a PV system.
Modules - PV cells are wired together to form modules, or
panels, which are usually a sealed unit of convenient size for
handling.
Arrays Groups of panels or modules make up an array.

PV ARRAY COMPONENTS
PV Cells
Modules
Arrays

PV SYSTEM COMPONENTS

1.
2.

3.
4.
5.

Solar PV System
Solar cells produce direct current (DC), therefore they are only
directly used for DC equipment. If alternating current (AC) is
needed for AC equipment or backup energy is needed, PV
systems require other components in addition to solar modules.
These components are specially designed to integrate into solar
PV systems. The components of a system are:
Solar Module or Array -- the essential component of any solar
PV system that converts sunlight directly into DC electricity.
Charge Controller -- regulates voltage and current from solar
arrays, charges the battery, prevents the battery from
overcharging and also performs controlled over discharge.
Battery -- stores current electricity produced from solar arrays
for use when sunlight is not available.
Inverter -- a critical component of any solar PV system that
converts DC power into AC power.
Lightning protection -- prevents electrical equipment from
damage caused by lightning or induction of high voltage surge.
It is required for large size and critical solar PV systems, which
include grounding.

WORKING OF SOLAR CELLS

When solar panels are placed in the sunlight ,

photons will strike the surface and emits electrons. As
a result electron hole pair is created in the solar cell.
When external circuit is connected to the solar cell ,
electrons flow in the circuit and the current is
generated.

TOP COUNTRIES FOR INSTALLED

PV CAPACITY

MAJOR USES OF SOLAR ENERGY

Daylight
Drying Agricultural Products
Space Heating
Water Heating
Generating Electrical Power

Concentrating
Photovoltaics

Solar Power (CSP)

Daylighting

DRYING AGRICULTURAL
PRODUCTS

WATER HEATING

CONCENTRATING SOLAR POWER

(CSP)