SOLAR

ENERGYALTERNATE
ENERGY

BY
Dr R. Nithya.,
Assistant Professor,
Department of Biotechnology & Research,
Shri Nehru Maha Vidyalaya College of Arts &
Science,
Coimbatore 50

Alternate
energyneed?

How Much Solar Energy Hits

Earth?
In full sun, we can safely assume about 100
watts of solar energy per square foot. If we
assume 12 hours of sun per day, this equates to
438,000 watt-hours per square foot per year.
Based on 27,878,400 square feet per square
mile, sunlight bestows a whopping 12.2 trillion
watt-hours per square mile per year.

Solar energy
Solar energy is the main constituent of all the available
energy sources.
It can be utilized in almost through out the year.
It produces almost negligible environmental pollution.
It can be used not only in lighting and cooking only but in
agriculture too.
It is easily available almost all parts of our country so the
machineries based on solar energy is easily accessible.

Contd
Solar energy can be harnessed in different levels around
the world. Depending on a geographical locations.
Solar technologies are broadly characterized as either
passive or active depending on the way they capture,
convert and distribute sunlight.
The utilization of the solar energy bases technologies
can be seen for various purposes : cooking, heating,
electricity etc.

Why Must We
Consider Solar
Power ?

Solar power
Solar

power is

the

conversion

sunlight into electricity,

either

using photovoltaic's (PV),

or

of
directly
indirectly

using concentrated solar power (CSP).

Concentrated solar power systems use lenses or mirrors
and tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight
into a small beam.
Photovoltaic's convert light into electric current using
the photoelectric effect.

Techniques to convert solar

energy
Active
solar
techniques
-uses
photovoltaic panels, pumps, and fans to
convert sunlight into useful outputs.
Passive solar techniques- selecting
materials with favourable thermal
properties, designing spaces that
naturally circulate air, and referencing
the position of a building to the Sun.

How does Photovoltaic cell

works?

Sunlight consists of little particles of

solar energy called photons.

As a PV cell is exposed to this

sunlight, many of the photons are
reflected, pass right through, or absorbed
by the solar cell.

Contd

Each individual solar energy cell produces only 1-2

watts. To increase power output, cells are combined in a
weather-tight package called a solar module.

These modules (from one to several thousand) are

then wired up in serial and/or parallel with one another,
into what's called a solar array, to create the desired
voltage and amperage output required by the given
project.

Did you know?

The average homeowner saves over $1000 a year
on electricity by installing solar panels on their
roof. That's including the cost of solar panels.

How does solar power work?

Applications
In urban development
Transport
Rural electrification
Roadways

Advantages

Solar power is pollution-free during use. Production

end-wastes and emissions are manageable using existing
pollution controls.

PV installations can operate for many years with

little maintenance or intervention after their initial setup, so after the initial capital cost of building any solar
power plant, operating costs are extremely low compared
to existing power technologies.

Disadvantages

The
cost
of
construction
photovoltaic cell is relatively high.

of

How to
overcome the
disadvantage
using
Nanotechnology
?

The amount of energy converted from light into

electricity

ultimately

depends upon how many

electrons can pass across the interface between the two

layers. And this is limited by the size of that interface.

One way nanotechnology can help is by

increasing the size of these interfaces by creating
incredibly bumpy surfaces. "What you are trying to
do is create very high surface areas at the
interface,"

This allows more electrons to pass,

increasing the amount of electricity produced.

 One kind of new solar cell that does precisely this is the
dye- sensitised solar cell, or Graetzel cell.
Instead of using two layers of silicon these solar cells
consist of a highly porous layer of titanium dioxide
nanoparticles, a common white material often used in
paint, coated in a molecular dye (the molecules of which
use sunlight to mimic chlorophyll and create energy).

 These cells are more flexible than traditional solar cells,

they can work in higher temperatures and they can
operate even in low-lighting conditions; but the key
benefit is the size of the interface and thus the potential
to create energy.

Because of its porous nature the amount of surface

area covered by the dye is much larger than the apparent
area of the cell.

Status in India

Gujarat is the leading solar power

state in our country.

Charanka Solar Park (India, 214 MW),