SOLAR ENERGY

UTILIZATION
By Krishna Kiran K.P
B090620AR
Guided by
Er. Arsha Soman

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
LITERATURE REVIEW
AIM AND OBJECTIVES
METHODOLOGY
EXPECTED OUTCOME
REFERENCE
BIBLIOGRAPHY

INTRODUCTION
Solar energy is harvested in many ways, the most common being solar panels. Also
prevalent are Solar thermal collectors, solar mirrors, passive methods etc. Other
methods include superconductor cells and nano structured plasmonic cells, which are
relatively new technology
Solar panels are the most commonly used in India. They are photovoltaic cells in a
module which is a packaged, connected assembly of solar cells

The drawback of solar energy harvesting is that it is costly to set up, and requires
consistent solar radiation throughout the year

INDIAN SCENARIO
Figure clearly shows solar collectors
prevalence around the world. It is clear
that solar collector has most meaningful
value in India and in countries where
sunlight is shining on suitable angle in
comparison with other countries long term
per year.

 On average, the country has 300 sunny days per year and receives an average hourly
radiation of 200 MW/km2. The India Energy Portal estimates that around 12.5% of
Indias land mass, or 413,000 km2, could be used for harnessing solar energy. This area
could be further increased by the use of building-integrated PV. Though a large-scale
program has not yet been deployed in India, one study has estimated that this
technology alone could generate 11,000 TWh per year for India.

LITERATURE REVIEW
In U.S, a renewable energy data book is published every year by the department of
energy to list out all the energy sources and the new methods and prospects for each.
In Spain, Italy, Germany etc, the government favours solar energy harvesting and
provide incentives and subsidies to developers who use it.

Most of these countries use solar panels as their method, as it is the most practical in
large scale harvesting as of now.
In India, the ministry of new and renewable energy publishes a Indian Renewable
Energy Status Report every year to assess the conditions and status of renewable
energy sources

AIM
To study about the utilization of solar energy in reducing the energy consumption in
residences and to prove that solar energy is the source for future

OBJECTIVES
To study about solar energy utilization
To study about the various methods by which solar energy can be used

The study about practicality of using solar energy as a major substitute for conventional
means
To analyze the energy consumption in both scenarios
To conduct case studies on residences utilizing solar energy
To prove that solar energy is better than conventional energy sources for a residence

METHODOLOGY
Secondary data - Literature case studies of solar power systems installed - Bewleys
Hotel Dublin Airport, St. Marys County Public School CA
Case studies of energy consumption data literature case studies
Different methods and equipment used for utilizing solar energy A brief market study
panels, arrays, superconductor cells etc

Primary data - Case studies of residences for energy consumption data Residence of
Dr. Harimohan Pillai, Thrissur
Comparative analysis of conventional energy and solar energy On site data obtained
from the case study. Comparing the expenses in both scenarios. Also Data used from
literature references.

METHODOLOGY
Literature
data
Case study
Market
study

Introduction
Background study
Existing solar power systems and how they work to reduce consumption

Comparative analysis
Energy consumption data

Different methods
Present situation

EXPECTED OUTCOME
The status of solar energy as the source for the future. Expected result is the
economical and practical proof of solar powers upper hand over conventional sources
of energy.
Even though India generates a large chunk of its power from hydro power plants, these
days the diminishing water levels are of a concern. And the environmental impact of all
the other sources.

REFERENCES
Performance of solar power plants in India, a report submitted to Central Electricity
Regulatory Commission New Delhi
Indian Renewable Energy Status Report, 2010 by D. S. Arora, Sarah Busche,
Shannon Cowlin, Tobias Engelmeier, Hanna Jaritz, Anelia Milbrandt, Shannon Wang

Hotspots of solar potential in India by T.V. Ramachandraa, Rishabh Jain, Gautham

Krishnadas
Solar Photovoltaic Power for Urban Households By Soundaram Ramanathan

Energy savings in home by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

Energy efficient solar homes/buildings by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Efficiency f solar energy : http://www.construction21.eu/articles/h/efficiency-of-solarenergy-harvesting.html
Database of solar radiation on different parts, how to calculate energy output of a solar
cell : http://photovoltaic-software.com/solar-radiation-database.php

Solar energy in Indian residences : http://indiasolarhomes.com/

LITERARURE CASE STUDIES

ST. MARYS COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL

The initial installation consists of a 510.3 kW system of more than 2100 ARRA compliant
solar panels.
The elementary schools system is expected to generate approximately 677,000 kilowatt
hours of electricity in its first year of operations, representing 80 percent of the schools
energy needs.
The amount of clean energy the system will produce in its first year is equivalent to
taking 105.5 cars off the road each year.

DETAILS
System Spec

System
Production

Environmenta
l Benefits

510.3 kW

677000kWh
annually

1184750 fewer
lbs. of carbon
dioxide
annually

System Description
1274 ground
mounted and
840 roof
mounted PV
modules

260 kW
inverter
(ground),
75 kW and 100
kW
inverters (roof)

Ballasted
racking with no
roof
penetrations
from
anchoring

DUNCAN HOUSE
Architect: Graham Duncan, 1998
Owner: Graham Duncan
Location: Ostend, Waiheke Island, New
Zealand; 36S, 174E; 10 m above sea level
Climate: Temperate
Area: 84 m2

FEATURES
ECOFEATURES
Solar and wind generated power
Solar water heating
Rainwater supplies all water needs

 The house is entirely self-contained for its electricity supply, although there is mains
electricity available from Mercurys lines directly outside in the road.
The solar contribution comes from 16, 60 W Solar polycrystalline photovoltaic panels
mounted on the north-facing roof at a slope of 42 (from horizontal).
Recently, an additional four 50 W panels were added to the north-facing wall below the
roof, increasing the original 960 W capacity to 1.16 kW.
In addition to the solar-generated power there are three small wind turbines.

USER FEEDBACK
The total non-renewable energy consumption of the house is in the form
of gas used for cooking (about 45 kg). Liquefied petroleum gas has a
calorific value of 13.9 kWh kg1 for propane, this is equivalent to
626 kWh years1 or 7.4 kWh m2. Therefore the house uses much less
energy than the sophisticated advanced houses of Canada and Europe,
although this is achieved largely through simplicity and doing without
(lower internal temperatures, few appliances, smaller space and co-ordination

of appliance use time).

MIDDLETON HOUSE
Architect: Charles Middleton, 1990
Client: Charles Middleton and Peggie
Beattie
Location: Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada;
45N, 79W; 270 m above sea level
Climate: Continental; 4800 heating
degree days per year
Area: 152 m2

DETAILS
ECOFEATURES
Passive design
Materials, local and
low embodied energy
Solar systems

SOLAR HARVESTING SYSTEM

The house is powered off-grid with a range of conventional electrical appliances for the
kitchen, as well as computers, fax, satellite television and other conveniences.
The house is fitted with a 600 W photovoltaic array for electricity and a small generator
for backup.

The battery stores 1800 Ah, allowing several days use without recharge.
The house has a solar hot-water system with a nominal 200 l storage tank.
The system draws water from the well using a 0.5 hp (0.373 kW) pump.

Rainwater is collected from the roof for use in the garden, conserving well-water and
energy for pumping.

USER FEEDBACK
Photovoltaic cells work well but the learning-curve on installation was steep.
This installation seems to reflect the current state of development of this technology in
North America.
Components work well individually, and support is good. The problems arise with
integration.
Systems are not sold as complete and fully integrated packages.
Electricity bills reduced considerably

POWER CONSUMPTION IN INDIA

METHODS OF SOLAR ENERGY HARVESTING

Photo Voltaic (PV) Cells
A solar cell (also called a photovoltaic cell) is an
electrical device that converts the energy of light
directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect.
It is a form of photoelectric cell (in that its
electrical characteristicse.g. current, voltage,
or resistancevary when light is incident upon
it) which, when exposed to light, can generate
and support an electric current without being
attached to any external voltage source, but do
require an external load for power consumption.

 Solar Thermal Collectors

A solar thermal collector collects heat by absorbing
sunlight. A collector is a device for capturing solar
radiation. Solar radiation is energy in the form of
electromagnetic radiation from the infrared (long) to
the ultraviolet (short) wavelengths. The quantity of
solar energy striking the Earth's surface averages
about 1,000 watts per square meter under clear
skies, depending upon weather conditions, location
and orientation. The term "solar collector"
commonly refers to solar hot water panels, but may
refer to installations such as solar parabolic
troughs and solar towers; or basic installations
such as solar air heaters. Simple collectors are
typically used in residential and commercial
buildings for space heating.

 Concentrated solar power Systems

Concentrated solar power (also called
concentrating solar power, concentrated
solar thermal, and CSP) systems use
mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large
area of sunlight, or solar thermal energy,
onto a small area. Electrical power is
produced when the concentrated light is
converted to heat, which drives a heat
engine (usually a steam turbine)
connected to an electrical power
generator or powers a thermochemical
reaction

 Passive Solar Design

Passive solar design refers to the use of the
suns energy for the heating and cooling of
living spaces. In this approach, the building
itself or some element of it takes advantage of
natural energy characteristics in materials and
air created by exposure to the sun. Passive
systems are simple, have few moving parts,
and require minimal maintenance and require
no mechanical systems. Operable windows,
thermal mass, and thermal chimneys are
common elements found in passive design.

 Using Plasmonic Nanostructures (new

method)
Plasmons, or a collective oscillation of
electrons, can be excited by optical radiation
and induce an electrical current that can move
in a pattern determined by the size and layout
of the gold particles used, as well as the
electrical properties of the surrounding
environment. Because these materials can
enhance the scattering of light, they have the
potential to be used to advantage in a range
of technological applications, such as
increasing absorption in solar cells.

PV SYSTEMS
Three configuration options are available
based on customer requirement:
PV system which is standalone i.e. not
interconnected to any grid power line
Solar PV system interconnected with
existing grid power supply line and using
battery storage with 5 hours backup.
Solar PV system interconnected with
existing grid power supply line and not
using any battery back-up

REQUIREMENTS FOR PV SYSTEM

INSTALLATION
A) Roof-top area required
A few years ago a 1-kilowatt home solar system would consists of about 10-12 solar
panels depending on their watt peak rating and require about 100 square feet (10ft x 10ft)
of roof area for the installation.

However, these days due to better technology, it can be reduced to even 4 panels, of
4ftx3ft. So the area required can be reduced considerably.

 B. Cost implication
Solar PV only has capital cost and very less operating cost. For the different option
configurations, costs are presented below. The government subsidy scheme is also
mentioned.

QUESTIONNAIRE
1.

How long ago was the system installed?

2.

What was the initial cost for installation?

3.

What is the type of system used?

a. Standalone PV system which is not connected to any power line
b. PV system connected to power line for storing back up power in batteries
c. PV system connected to power line which does not store back up power
d. Other

1.

What is the capacity of the system?

2.

What was the average electricity bill before the system installation?

3.

What is the average electricity bill now, and how much is the difference?

4.

Does the system requires timely maintenance? If yes, how much does it costs?

5.

What is the lifetime of the batteries used?

ANALYSIS
PV systems are still the best options for solar
energy harvesting in India, with depleting prices
and increasing brands and consumer service
Potential of solar energy in India high since most
places receives plenty of direct sunlight
It is observed that nearly 58% of the country
receives annual average Global insolation of
5kWh/m2/ day which could help meet escalating
power requirements in a decentralized, efficient
and sustainable manner
Since studies show that all the oil and natural gas
deposits in the world will deplete in about 50 to 70
years, this is the most abundant renewable source
of energy we have.