SOLAR ENERGY

By
GROUP 3
 What is solar energy?

• The energy obtained from sun is called

solar energy.
• The upper atmosphere of earth receives
from sun nearly 1.34kJ of energy per
square metre out of which nearly 53%
energy is absorbed by atmosphere itself
and only 47% energy reaches the earth
surface.
 Devices used:-
• To obtain electricity two devices are used:

– Solar cell

– Solar power plant

 Solar cell

• The device which converts solar energy

directly into the electricity is called a solar
cell.
 More on Solar cell
• The solar cells are usually made up of
semiconductors like silicon and gallium.

• Semiconductors have conductivity less

than that of a metal but more than that of
an insulator.
• At ordinary temperature ,a semiconductor
has a very low conductivity, but its
conductivity increases either with the rise
in temperature or when some impurities
are added in it.
• If sunlight is made incident on an impurity
added semiconductor ,a potential
difference is produced between its
surfaces.

• This forms a solar cell.

• Due to this potential difference ,a current
flows in the circuit connected between the
opposite faces of the semiconductor.

• Such a single solar cell of area 4cm2

produces a potential difference of nearly
0.4 volt to 0.5 volt due to which a current
of nearly 60 milli-ampere can be obtained.
 Solar panel

• To increase the efficiency , a large number

of solar cells are arranged over a large
area so that they can get a large amount
of solar energy to produce sufficient
electricity.
 What is solar panel?

• The arrangement of solar cells is called a

solar panel.
How do solar lights work at night?
• A solar panel gives electricity so long as sunlight
is falling on it.

• Therefore a solar panel cannot produce

electricity at night.

• To overcome this difficulty , the storage battery

(or secondary cell) is charged by a solar panel
during the day time and then it can be used at
night to provide electricity.
 Uses of solar panel
• To supply electricity in artificial satellites

• For running water pumps

• For street lighting, radio, television sets in

remote rural areas

• In watches and calculators

 Solar panel

Sunlight

Electric motor

Battery

Ground level

Water pump
 Advantages of solar panel

• They do not require any maintenance.

• They last over a long period of time.

• Their running cost is almost zero.

• They are most suitable for the remote ,
inaccessible , and isolated places where
electric power lines cannot be laid.

• They do not cause any pollution in the

environment.
 Disadvantages of solar panel
• The initial cost of solar panel is sufficiently
high.

• The efficiency of conversion of solar

energy to electrical energy is low.

• A solar panel produces D.C. electricity

which cannot be directly used for many
household purposes.
 Solar power plant

The device which is used to generate electricity

from solar energy is called a solar power plant.
 Principle
• The sun rays after reflection from a large
concave reflector get concentrated at its
focus.

• The rays have sufficient heat energy which

can boil water , if it is placed at the focus
of the reflector.
 Working
• A solar power plant consists of a number
of big concave reflectors , at the focus of
which there are black painted water pipes.

• The reflectors concentrate the heat energy

of sun rays on the pipes due to which
water inside the pipes start boiling and
produces steam.
• This steam thus produced is used to rotate
a steam turbine which drives a generator
producing electricity.
PLACES WHERE SOLAR
POWER PLANT IS PRESENT IN
INDIA
Gurgaon
CIAL(First solar powered airport)
ANY
DOUBTS
NEXT
ON
WIND
ENERGY!!!!
 By
GROUP 3

WIND ENERGY
Wind turbines consist of a foundation,
a tower,
a nacelle and a rotor

T1
T2
 WORKING OF WINDMILL

• An electric generator or dynamo is placed

at the top of a pillar.
• The armature of the dynamo is
connected to the shaft attached with the
blades of a wind mill.
• When the blowing wind strikes the
blades , the kinetic energy of wind
changes into the rotational kinetic energy
of the blades.
• The rotation of the blades of the turbine
rotates the armature of the dynamo in the
magnetic field between the pole pieces N
and S of a strong magnet , thus an
alternating e.m.f. is produced between the
terminals T1 and T2.
 WIND FARM

• To generate a sufficient amount of electric

power, a large number of wind generators
are arranged over a big area called a wind
farm.
PLACES HAVING WIND FARM
Gujarat
Tamil Nadu
 ADVANTAGES OF WIND ENERGY

• It does not cause any kind of pollution

• It is an everlasting(i.e. renewable)source.
 LIMITATIONS OF WIND ENERGY

• The wind farms can be established only

at places near the coastal areas where
wind blows around the year steadily with
a speed not less than 15kmh-1

• A large area of land is needed for the

establishment of a wind farm

• The establishment of a wind farm is

expensive
ANY
DOUBTS
QUIZ

BY
GROUP 3
 Instructions
• This is a 10 question quiz .

• Those who know the answer can raise

their hands .

• The one who raises his/her hand first

gets the chance to answer first .

• Only one person can answer.

• Prizes will be given by Ms. Neena

madam .
 QUESTION 1
• For satellites the source of energy is

a. Solar cell
b. Fuel cells
c. Edison cells
d. Cryogenic storage
 ANSWER 1
• Solar cell
 QUESTION 2
• A module in a solar panel refers to

a. Series arrangement of solar cells.

b. Parallel arrangement of solar cells.
c. Series and parallel arrangement of
solar cells.
d. None of the above.
 ANSWER 2
• Series and parallel arrangement of
solar cells
 QUESTION 3
• Photovoltaic energy is the conversion
of sunlight into:

a. Chemical energy
b. Biogas
c. Electricity
d. Geothermal energy
 ANSWER 3
• Electricity
 QUESTION 4
• How much solar energy reaches the
Earth's surface at any given
moment?

a.173 terawatts
b.1.73 terawatts
c.17300 terawatts
d.173000 terawatts
 ANSWER 4
• 173000 terawatts
 QUESTION 5
• What does the word photovoltaic
mean?

a. Sun-powered
b. Light-cells
c. Light-electricity
d. Solar-energy
 ANSWER 5
• Light-electricity

• "Photovoltaic" has two parts: photo,

for light, and volt for electricity.
• And that's exactly what photovoltaic
systems do –
turn light into electricity!
 QUESTION 6
• Who discovered the photovoltaic effect?

a. American physicist Enrico Fermi

b. Italian physicist Alessandro Volta
c. German physicist Heinrich Rudolf
Hertz
d. French physicist Edmond Becquerel
 ANSWER 6
• French physicist Edmond Becquerel

• He was the first person to realize

that sunlight could produce an
electric current in a solid material in
1839
 QUESTION 7
• What causes wind?

a. Rotation of the earth

b. Sun heating the atmosphere
c. Variations in the earth’s surface
d. All of the above
 ANSWER 7
• All of the above

• As the Sun warms the Earth and

the planet rotates, it leads to areas
of high and low atmospheric
pressure that interact with terrain
like mountains, oceans, plains and
valleys to produce wind.
 QUESTION 8
• What is the earliest recorded use for
windmills?

a. Grinding grain
b. Pumping water
c. Jousting
d. Generating electricity
 ANSWER 8
• Pumping water

• The Persians are believed to have

pioneered the use of windmills to pump
water around 600 B.C.

• Grinding grain was another early use

for the windmill in places like the
Middle East, China and ancient Greece
 QUESTION 9
• How many blades does a modern wind
turbine have?

a. 3
b. 4
c. 2
d. There is no standard number of
blades
 ANSWER 9
• 3

• The three-blade design has become

widely accepted as the most efficient
design for generating electricity
 QUESTION 10
• Which of these is NOT a part of a
modern wind turbine?

a. Compressor
b. Nacelle
c. Gear box
d. Yaw drive
 ANSWER 10
• Compressor

• The nacelle of a wind turbine houses

important components like the gear
box
• The yaw drive is a motor that turns
the nacelle to keep the rotor facing
into the wind at all times.
THANK YOU….