SOLAR ENERGY

Vishal Kumar Maurya

2015CE10403
AGENDA
 What is Solar Energy ?
 Means of Storage
 Application horizon of
Solar Energy
 Technological
advancements in solar
power
 Blockades in
commercialization and
industrialization
 Advantages and
Disadvantages of Solar
Energy
 Future of Solar Energy in
India
What is 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's, solar
thermal energy, solar
architecture, molten
salt power plant and
artificial
photosynthesis.
 Means of Storage
 Thermal Mass System – It stores solar energy in the
form of heat at domestically useful temperatures for
daily or inter-seasonal duration.

 Phase change materials – Materials such as paraffin wax

and glauber’s salt are another thermal storage medium.

 Off-grid PV systems – They have traditionally used

rechargeable batteries to store excess electricity. With
grid-tide systems, excess electricity can be sent to
transmission grids.
 Applications of Solar Energy
 Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) – CSP plants are
utility-scale generators that produce electricity using
mirrors or lenses to efficiently concentrate the sun’s
energy.

 Solar Thermal Electric Power Plants – Solar thermal

energy involves harnessing solar power for practical
applications from solar heating to electric power
generation. Solar thermal collectors, such as solar hot
water panels, are commonly used to generate solar hot
water for domestic and light industrial applications.
 Applications of Solar Energy
 Photovoltaics – Photovoltaic or PV technology employs
solar cells or solar photovoltaic arrays to convert energy
from sun into electricity. Solar cells produce direct current
electricity from the sun’s rays, which can be used to power
equipment or to recharge batteries.
Ex.- Pocket calculators. For larger purposes, cells are
grouped together to form PV modules to power orbiting
satellites and other spacecrafts.

 Solar Heating Systems – Solar hot water systems use

sunlight to heat water. The systems are composed of solar
thermal collectors and a storage tank, and they may be
active, passive or batch systems.
 Applications of Solar energy
Some other applications of solar energy can be –
 Solar cars
 Solar power satellites
 Solar updraft tower
 Renewable solar power systems with
regenerative fuel cell systems
 Technological Advancements in Solar
Power Usage
In past few years, a number of achievements
have brought us to a solar panel efficiency level
of 23.5 %

 Solar Water Purifiers – Stanford University has

come up with a new solar device that can purify
water when exposed to sunlight. This device,
unlike previous devices, can access visible light
and requires a few minutes to produce reliable
drinking water.
 Technological Advancements in Solar
Power
 Solar Tracking Mounts – Trackers allow solar panel to
maximize electricity production by following the sun as
it moves across the sky. PV tracking system tilt and shift
the angel of a solar array as the day goes by to best
match the location of the sun.

 Wearable Solar – Tiny solar panels can now be

stitched into the fabric of clothing. This makes it
possible for solar to expand into home products like
window curtains or heated car seats. Solar-powered
watches are also a part of this advancement.
 Blockades in Commercialization and
Industrialization
 Solar Skin – One major barrier for the solar
industry is the looks of solar panel. People
consider solar panels to be an unsightly home
additive. Many efforts are being made in this
area and a MIT start-up has created a “solar
skin” product that makes it possible for solar
panels to match the appearance of a roof
without interfering with panel efficiency or
production. Sistine solar is also trying to give
solar panels a customized look.
 Blockades in Commercialization and
Industrialization
 Storage – One of the ultimate drawbacks of
solar energy is storage. Solar batteries are one
option but they are still not a viable for the
mainstream. MIT professor, Jeffrey Grossman,
and his team has developed an alternative
storage called solar thermal fuels (STFs).
 Solar Thermal Fuel
• The STF can harness sunlight energy, store it as a charge and
then release it when prompted. The problem with storing
solar energy as heat is that heat dissipates over time. That is
why this method is more efficient than the other.

• Solar thermal fuel is comprised of organic molecule that exist

in two possible shapes

• An uncharged low energy shape

• A charged High Energy shape
 Solar Thermal Fuel
• An uncharged low • A charged High Energy
energy shape shape
 Advantages of Solar Energy
 This is an inexhaustible source of energy and the best
replacement to other non-renewable energies.
 Solar energy is environment friendly. When in use, it
does not release CO2 and other gases which pollute the
air.
 Solar energy can be used for variety of purposes like as
heating, drying, cooking or electricity.
 In an energy deficient country like India, where power
generation is costly, solar energy is the best alternate
means of power generation.
 You don’t need a power or gas grid to get solar energy.
A solar energy system can be installed anywhere.
 Disadvantages of Solar Energy
 We cannot generate energy during the night time with solar
energy.
 During day time, the weather may be cloudy or rainy, with
little or no sun radiation. Hence, this makes solar energy
panels less reliable as a solution.
 Solar panels also require inverters and storage batteries to
convert direct electricity to alternating electricity so as to
generate electricity. While installing a solar panel is quite
cheap, installing other equipments becomes expensive.
 Energy production is quite low compared to other forms of
energy.
 Solar panels require considerable maintenance as they are
fragile and can be easily damaged. So extra expenses are
incurred as additional insurance costs.
 Future of Solar Energy in India
 Thar Desert has some of India’s best solar power projects,
estimated to generate 700 to 2,100 GW.
 The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM)
launched by the Centre is targeting 20,000 MW of solar
energy power by 2022.
 Gujarat’s pioneering solar power policy aims at 1,000 MW
of solar energy generation.
 In July 2009, a $19 billion solar power plan was unveiled
which projected to produce 20 GW of solar power by 2020.
 About 66 MW is installed for various applications in the
rural area, amounting to be used in solar lanterns, street
lighting systems and solar water pumps, etc.
THANK YOU