SOLAR TECHNLOGY

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 SOLAR ENERGY
 Electromagnetic energy (solar radiation) transmitted by
the sun is the solar energy
 Source of renewable energy
 Free and abundant
 Pollution free
 Solar energy harnessed by capturing
1. Sun’s light-through photovoltaic cells
2. Sun’s heat-through solar heaters

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 TYPES OF SOLAR TECHNOLOGIES
 Photovoltaic Systems
 Solar Thermal
 Low temperature solar thermal power
 Concentrated solar power

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 SOLAR TECHNOLOGY-APPLICATIONS
1. PV SYSTEMS
• PV panels mounted on the
roof.
• Work based on the
photovoltaic effect.
• These panels convert solar
energy into electricity(DC).
• DC is then converted to AC
using the inverter.
• The AC can then be used to
power the loads, can be
stored for future usage or
exported to the grids.

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 SOLAR CELL: TECHNOLOGIES
 1st generation
 Monocrystalline Silicon (Mono-Si)
 Polycrystalline Silicon (Poly-Si)
 2nd generation
 Thin-Film Solar cells (TFSC)
 Amorphous Silicon Solar cells (A-Si)
 3rd generation
 Cadmium Telluride Solar cell (CdTe)
 Concentrated PV cell (CVP)

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 LAYERS OF A SOLAR CELL

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 TYPES OF PV SYSTEMS

•Off- grid PV systems

Stand alone PV system
Hybrid PV system
DC application system

•ON grid-PV systems

•Hybrid PV systems with grid export mode

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 OFF GRID PV SYSTEMS

STANDALONE SYSTEM
 Designed to operate independent of
the electric utility grid.
 Applicable for remote area where
there is no feasibility of grid
power.
 BOS design should be precise,
because loads completely depends
on SPV generated power.
 Cannot work as hybrid system.
 The PV system is the only source
of power for the consumer.
 The battery bank has a limited
capacity to act as source and sink
of energy -> Key design element

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 OFF GRID PV SYSTEMS
HYBRID PV SYSTEM
 Consists of another source of
electricity(eg wind turbine or
diesel generator) in addition to the
PV panels.
 To make SPV system hybrid,
inverter should be intelligent.
 Battery banks are typically sized to
supply the electric load for a couple
of days.

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 OFF GRID PV SYSTEMS
DC APPLICATION SYSTEM
 Also called as the direct coupled PV
system.
 DC output of a PV module or array is
directly connected to a DC load
 operates during sunlight hours
 Matching the impedance of the electrical
load to the maximum power output of the
PV array.
 A DC-DC converter, called a maximum
power point tracker (MPPT), is used
between the array and load to help better
utilize the available array maximum
power output.
 Less conversion loss.
 Limited to specific loads.
 Applicable for decentralized street
lighting system.

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 ON GRID PV SYSTEMS
 Designed to operate in parallel
and is interconnected with the
electric utility grid.
 The PV system is a
supplemental power for the
utility. Excess power can be
supplied to the grid.
 When demand > PV output,
power drawn from the utility.
 The grid acts as an energy
storage with infinite capacity as
compared to the system power.
 Anti-islanding feature has to be
incorporated with the inverter.

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 HYBRID PV SYSTEMS WITH GRID EXPORT MODE

 This types of system takes

the DC power from solar
module, charges battery,
meets the loads
requirement & the surplus
power is to the grid.

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MAJOR SYSTEM COMPONENTS
 PV modules
 Converts sunlight to DC
 Inverter/Power conditioning circuit
 Convert DC to AC
 Battery
 Stores surplus energy and supplies during demand
 Utility meter
 Keeps track of the power utilized from and given to the grid
 Charge controller
 Prevents the battery from overcharging and excessive discharging
TYPES OF SOLAR INVERTERS
 String inverters
 Micro-inverters
 Power optimizers
STRING INVERTERS
 Solar panels are arranged into groups connected by strings.
 Each string of panels is connected to a single inverter
 Cost effective and hence most commonly used
 Not suitable if the roof is prone to shading
 Produce as much electricity as its least productive panel
 Not suitable if solar panels are installed facing different directions
MICRO-INVERTERS
 Module level power electronics
 One inverter per panel
 Can monitor power production of individual panels
 Suitable for installations where one or more panels may be shaded or where panels
face different directions
 Produces slightly more power than a similar system with a string inverter
 Can be integrated into the panel itself or mounted next to the panel
 Expensive than string inverters
 POWER OPTIMIZERS

 Similar to Micro-inverters but integrated into the panels themselves

 Condition DC electricity at the panel site & send it to the string
inverter.
 More efficient than micro-inverters
 Less expensive than micro-inverters
 LOAD CALCULATION FOR SOLAR POWER PLANT

STEPS INVOLVED:
 Load assessment
 PV module sizing
 Battery sizing
 Charge controller sizing
 Inverter sizing

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 LOAD ASSESSMENT
Load Table
S.No. Equipment Quantity Hours of use Load(W) Load
Consumption
(Wh)
1 Light 12 5 12*40 12*40*5

2 Fan 5 8 5*50 5*50*8

3 TV 2 5 2*50 2*50*5

Total 830 4900

AC Load in Ampere hours = 4900Wh / 12 volts = 408.33 Ah

DC Load in Ampere hours = ( 5 W x 2 hours ) / 12 volts = 0.833 Ah
Total load in Ampere hours = 408.33 Ah + 0.833 Ah = 409.163 Ah

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 INVERTER SIZING

Capacity of the inverter = Load * 1.2

= 830 * 1.2
= 996W
Nearest available inverter size = 1000W, 12V DC.

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 BATTERY SIZING

Battery capacity = (autonomy * daily load)/(max% usable * temp derating factor * rate factor)
Autonomy = Avg time of scenario / back up time = 4/6 = 0.66
Battery capacity = (0.66 * 409.16) / (0.7 * 0.94) = 410.4 Ah
No. of series batteries = System voltage / Battery voltage = 12V/12V = 1
No. of parallel batteries = Total bt capacity / single bt capacity = 410.4Ah / 200Ah = 2

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 PV MODULE SIZING

Actual module output = Module output * dust derate factor * mismatch factor
Module selected = 250 W , Imp= 8.1 A. ,Voc= 42.1 Vdc
Module output = 8.1 A x 7.2 hours = 58.32Ah

Actual module output = 58.32 Ah x 0.91 = 53.07 Ah.

Number of modules in series =(System voltage / Open ckt voltage) = 12/42.1

=1 module(approx)
Number of modules in parallel =(Total bt capacity / Actual module o/p) =
410.4/53.07 = 8 modules(approx)

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 CALCULATION FOR ON GRID SYSTEM WITHOUT BATTERY
System Voltage for on grid system = 24V DC to 96V DC
Avg = 60V DC
On avg = 4900/60 = 81.66Ah
(daily load on grid)
Actual module o/p = 53.07Ah
No. of modules in series = SV/Voc = 60/42.1 = 2
(approx)

No. of modules in parallel = Total daily load/Actual module o/p

= 81.66/53.07 = 2 (approx)
Total no. of panels = panels in series * panels in parallel
= 2 * 2 = 4 panels

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 MOUTING OF SOLAR PANELS
 As India is in northern hemisphere the panel should be facing
South.
 Tilt angle in India = Latitude * 0.9

To track the movement of the sun and align the panel

accordingly,
Single Axis tracking
Dual Axis tracking

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 APPLICATIONS (cont’d)
2. SOLAR WATER HEATING
SYSTEMS
 A solar water heater consists of a
collector to collect solar energy.
 The solar energy incident on the
absorber panel transfers the heat
to the riser pipes underneath the
absorber panel.
 The water passing through the
risers get heated up and is
delivered the storage tank.
 The re-circulation of the same
water through absorber panel in
the collector raises the
temperature to 80 C
(Maximum).

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 TYPES OF SOLAR WATER HEATERS
FLAT PLATE COLLECTOR (FPC)
BASED SOLAR WATER HEATERS
 The solar radiation is absorbed by Flat
Plate Collectors
 They consist of an insulated outer
metallic box covered on the top with
glass sheet.
 Blackened metallic absorber sheets are
present inside with built in channels or
riser tubes to carry water.
 The absorber absorbs the solar radiation
and transfers the heat to the flowing
water.
 These are metallic type systems and
have a longer life.

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 EVACUATED TUBE COLLECTORS
(ETC) BASED SOLAR WATER
HEATERS
 Evacuated Tube Collector is made of
double layer borosilicate glass tubes
evacuated for providing insulation.
 The outer wall of the inner tube is
coated with selective absorbing
material.
 This helps absorption of solar radiation
and transfers the heat to the water
which flows through the inner tube.
 These systems are made up of glass and
are fragile.

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 S.No Parameters FPC ETC
1 Cost Cheaper than ETC(cost/BTU) 10-15% expensive than FPC.
More efficient in cold
climates.
2 Performance More suitable for medium and Better performance than
high temp regions FPC in cold temp regions
Can heat water upto 80⁰C Can heat water upto 200⁰C
3 Design complexity Less High
3 Installation Requires more roof space & Requires less roof space &
has heavier components has lighter components
4 Reliability Less risk of overheating High risk of overheating
5 Applications Domestic Commercial & industrial
6 Snow Sheds snow easily Sheds snow poorly
8 Warranties 20 yrs 10 yrs

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 CHOOSING BETWEEN ETC AND FPC
∆T= (Ti-Ta)/ G
Ti=Inlet temperature of the fluid inside the solar collector, in C
Ta=Temperature of outdoor air, in C
G = Solar radiation on the collector plane, in W/m2

• It is seen from the graph that at point A, the performance of FPC and ETC is
same. As ∆T increases from reference point A, ETC performs better than FPC
whereas with the decrease of ∆T from reference point A, FPC performs better
than ETC.
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 FACTORS AFFECTING THE SOLAR HEATING
TECHNOLOGY

 Ambient air temperature

 Water quality
 Temporary hard water
 Permanent hard water
 Saline water
 Acidic water
 Alkaline water
 Water with high turbidity
 Treated water (for removing hardness)

 Other environmental factors- hail, animal interference

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 SIZING OF SOLAR WATER HEATING SYSTEM
Consider the foll table:

The total hot water requirement at 40º C for a family of 4 in an average residential flat in a
typical city is 260 liters.
Considering a heat loss factor of 20% for average residential flat in city area, hot water
requirement will be = 260 * 1.2= 312L
Hot water is required mainly in the winter season and therefore the system
should be designed to meet the hot water requirement during winter.

The table on the next page gives the hot water output of a typical 100 liter system at 60º C
and the output varies from place to place depending upon environmental conditions.

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 Collector Inclination and winter output at 60Deg at Different places for 2 Sq Meter collector on an average Clear Day
in December For plane areas and month of April for hilly areas Variation of+- 10% is likely with collectors from
different sources

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 If we need to calculate the size of the solar water system for Chennai,
Quantity of cold water = Hot water temperature - Use water temperature = 60 – 40 = 10
Quantity of hot water Use water temperature - Cold water temperature 40 – 22 9

 Thus, 163 liters of cold water at 22º C needs to be mixed with 149 liters of hot water at 60º C to
get 312 liters of water at 40º C.
 From the previous table, it is observed that, we can see that a 100 liter system at Chennai can
deliver 136 liters of hot water per day.
 To get 149 liters of hot water, collector area needs to be only 2.2 sq meter [2 X (149/136) = 2.2
 To store hot water close to 149 liters, 250 liters of storage tank capacity should be used but if water
is used regularly, a 150 liter storage tank is more than sufficient.
It is always advisable to have the storage tank of a little higher capacity to avoid
overheating during summer season.
Therefore, size of the solar water heating system may be as follows.
 Hot water requirement per day at 40ºC 312 liters
 Size of the storage tank 150 - 250 liters
 Size of the collector area 2 sq meters

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