SOLAR ENERGY AND ITS TYPES

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,
photovoltaics, solar thermal energy, solar architecture, molten salt
power plants.
Explanation:
It is an essential source of renewable energy, and its
technologies are broadly characterized as either passive solar
or active solar depending on how they capture and distribute
solar energy or convert it into solar power.

Active Solar Techniques

Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic
systems, concentrated solar power, and solar water heating to
harness the energy.
Passive Solar Techniques
Passive solar techniques include orienting a building to the
Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light-
dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally
circulate air.
Types of Solar energy
1. Photovoltaic cells:
• Photovoltaic or solar cell/panel converts sunlight directly into
electricity which can be used to power light bulbs, household
electrical appliances or recharge a battery.
• PV cells come in various sizes ranging from 10mm by 10mm to
100mm by 100mm, the most common size being 100mm by
100mm cells.
• A single PV cell produces about 1 to 2 watts of electricity; an
amount that is quite insignificant compared to what is required
by most electrical equipment.
PV Module
• Two or more PV Cells are built to produce a PV Module to provide
higher wattages as required.
• For instance, a PV module producing 50 watts may comprise of at
least 25 of 2 Watts output PV cells.
Components of the PV System:
A basic Solar PV system comprises of the following components:
• Solar panels: Collect visible light from Sun and converts it to
electricity. The type of electricity current solar panels is
Direct Current (DC).
• Charge Controller (CC): Controls the amount of electricity
deposited in the battery bank at any time. In other words, it
feeds electricity from the solar panel to the batteries in a
manner that prevents the solar panel from overcharging the
batteries. Solar PV system can operate without a CC but the
solar panels may overcharge the battery.
 • Batteries (rechargeable) Store solar energy up to provide
electricity for sun-down periods (nights and cloudy days).
They must be able to discharge and recharge. Rechargeable
batteries are a little more expensive than the disposable
batteries. Without batteries a PVC system can only provide
electricity when it is sunny.
• Power Inverter converts the low-voltage direct currents (DC)
from the battery to high-voltage alternating current (AC)
required by most household appliances.

2. Solar Thermal energy:

• Solar thermal power/electric generation systems collect and
concentrate sunlight to produce the high temperature heat
needed to generate electricity.
• All solar thermal power systems have solar energy collectors
with two main components: reflectors (mirrors) that capture
and focus sunlight onto a receiver.
• In most types of systems, a heat-transfer fluid is heated and
circulated in the receiver and used to produce steam.
• The steam is converted into mechanical energy in a turbine,
which powers a generator to produce electricity.
• Solar thermal power systems have tracking systems that keep
sunlight focused onto the receiver throughout the day as the
sun changes position in the sky.
• Solar thermal power plants usually have a large field or array
of collectors that supply heat to a turbine and generator.
Several solar thermal power facilities in the United States have
two or more solar power plants with separate arrays and
generators.
• Solar thermal power systems may also have a thermal energy
storage system component that allows the solar collector
system to heat an energy storage system during the day, and
the heat from the storage system is used to produce electricity
in the evening or during cloudy weather. Solar thermal power
plants may also be hybrid systems that use other fuels (usually
natural gas) to supplement energy from the sun during periods
of low solar radiation.
3. Solar water heating systems
• A second type of solar energy is solar hot water which as the
name suggests involves the heating up of water using the sun’s
heat.
• The idea behind this comes straight from nature: the shallow
water of a lake or the water on the shallow end of a beach is
usually warmer compared to deeper water.
• This is because the sunlight can heat the bottom of the lake or
seashore in the shallow areas, which in turn, heats the water.
• So, a system has been developed to imitate this: solar water
heating systems for buildings are made up of two parts, the solar
collector and a storage tank.
• The most common collector is called a flat-plate collector which is
mounted on the roof and faces the sun.
• Small tubes run through the box and carry the fluid – either water
or other fluid, such as an antifreeze solution – to be heated.
• As heat builds up in the collector, it heats the fluid passing
through the tubes. The storage tank then holds the hot liquid.
4. Passive solar heating:

• A further way that solar power can be harnessed is through the

method of passive solar heating and day-lighting.
• This is not a new concept – indeed, ancient civilisations such as
the Anasazi Indians in Colorado had developed passive solar
design in their dwelling.
• The impact of the sun is easy to understand: step outside on a
warm sunny day and you can feel the sun.
• With proper design, buildings can also “feel” the sun’s energy.
• For example, south-facing windows will receive more sunlight
while buildings can also incorporate materials such as sunlit floors
and walls that absorb and store the sun’s heat.
• These materials heat up during the day and slowly release the
heat at night when heat is most needed.
• Other design features such as a sunspace, which resemble
greenhouses, concentrate a lot of warmth which with the right
ventilation can be used to heat an entire building.
• Such features maximise the direct gains from the sun’s heat but
also sunlight itself. The even better news is that on particularly
 hot days, there are ways to ensure these features do not overheat
buildings.

Advantages of Solar Energy

1. Renewable Energy Source

• Among all the benefits of solar panels, the most important thing is
that solar energy is a truly renewable energy source. It can be
harnessed in all areas of the world and is available every day. We
cannot run out of solar energy, unlike some of the other sources
 of energy. Solar energy will be accessible as long as we have the
sun, therefore sunlight will be available to us for at least 5 billion
years when according to scientists the sun is going to die.

2. Reduces Electricity Bills

• Since you will be meeting some of your energy needs with the
electricity your solar system has generated, your energy bills will
drop. How much you save on your bill will be dependent on the
size of the solar system and your electricity or heat usage.

3. Diverse Applications

• Solar energy can be used for diverse purposes. You can generate
electricity (photovoltaic) or heat (solar thermal). Solar energy can
be used to produce electricity in areas without access to the
energy grid, to distil water in regions with limited clean water
supplies and to power satellites in space.

4. Low Maintenance Costs

• Solar energy systems generally don’t require a lot of maintenance.

You only need to keep them relatively clean, so cleaning them a
couple of times per year will do the job. If in doubt, you can
always rely on specialised cleaning companies, which offer this
service from around £25-£35.Most reliable solar panel
manufacturers offer 20-25 years warranty. Also, as there are no
moving parts, there is no wear and tear. The inverter is usually the
only part that needs to be changed after 5-10 years because it is
continuously working to convert solar energy into electricity and
heat (solar PV vs. solar thermal).
 • 5. Technology Development

Technology in the solar power industry is constantly advancing and

improvements will intensify in the future. Innovations in quantum
physics and nanotechnology can potentially increase the effectiveness
of solar panels.