ME165-3

SOLAR ENERGY UTILIZATION

ENGR. ESTELITO V. MAMUYAC, PME

LECTURE 1.2 EARLY APPLICATIONS

2022-2023 / 2T
24 NOVEMBER 2022
Talk outline

✓Early applications of solar-mechanical conversion

✓Applications of solar energy in the Philippines

EARLY APPLICATIONS OF SOLAR-MECHANICAL CONVERSION
First large solar furnace in 1774
▪ by the French Chemist L.
Lavoisier

▪ used to study the properties

of metals by melting them by
solar radiation in a very pure
environment. (Trombe 1955)

Source: A Short Historical Review Of Renewable Energy,

E. Delyannis1 and A. El-Nashar2
Mouchot’s solar power engine in 1778

▪ collected solar energy in

the solar concentrator
drives a steam engine to
operate a press.

▪ press was used to print

during the exhibition the
"Sunshine Journal“ (Teller
1979).
Source: A Short Historical Review Of Renewable Energy,
E. Delyannis1 and A. El-Nashar2
Concentrator in 1883

▪ used by Ericsonto collect solar

radiation for a mechanical
power system (Jordan 1955).

Source: A Short Historical Review Of

Renewable Energy,
E. Delyannis1 and A. El-Nashar2
Active solar technologies
▪ Active solar technologies include the use of
photovoltaic panels and solar thermal collectors to
harness the energy.

➢ Use pumps, and fans to convert sunlight into useful

outputs.
➢ Increase the supply of energy and are considered supply
side technologies
Passive solar technologies
▪ Passive solar technologies include orienting a building to
the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or
light dispersing properties, and designing spaces that
naturally circulate air.
➢ Passive solar relies on the inherent thermo-dynamic
properties of the system or materials to operate.
➢ They do not need external energy sources.
➢ Reduce the need for alternate resources and are generally
considered demand side technologies.
Solar desalination

▪ Solar distillation has been in practice for a long time.

The earliest documented work is that of an Arab
alchemist in the 15th century, reported by Mouchot in
1869. Mouchot has reported that the Arab alchemist
had used polished Damascus mirrors for solar
distillation.
Architecture and urban planning
Urban Solar Design Doubles as a
Greenhouse
A solarium regulates temperatures and allows
occupants to grow food in this flexible urban
design. Designed by University of Buffalo
students for an urban environment, the home
features living space that expands and
contracts with the growing seasons and
centers on what the students call a
“GRoWlarium.” This greenhouse-like space can
be enjoyed as living space in benign weather
and used as a greenhouse the rest of the time.
It also encloses, buffers and moderates the
conditioned space.
Maturgo©
Agriculture and horticulture
https://us.sunpower.com/commercial-solar/industries/agriculture
Transport and reconnaissance

The Helios UAV, powered solely by photovoltaics, sets Sinag, Philippine’s first solar car, raced
the altitude record for a non-rocket-propelled aircraft at through a 3,021 km (1,877 mi) course
29,524 metres (96,864 ft) in 2001. from Darwin to Adelaide in the 2007
World Solar Car Challenge.
Solar thermal

▪ Solar thermal energy (STE) is an innovative technology for

harnessing solar energy for thermal energy (heat).
▪ Solar thermal technologies can be used for water heating,
space heating, space cooling and process heat generation.
▪ Classification of solar thermal collectors:
➢Low-temperature collectors
➢Medium-temperature collectors
➢High-temperature collectors
Solar thermal

▪ Low-temperature collectors are generally installed to heat

swimming pools, although they can also be used for space
heating. Collectors can use air or water as the medium to
transfer the heat to their destination.
▪ Medium-temperature collectors are also usually flat plates but
are used for heating water or air for residential and commercial
use.
▪ High-temperature collectors concentrate sunlight using mirrors
or lenses and are generally used for electric power production.
 Solar Thermal

▪ Heating, cooling and ventilation

➢ Solar House #1 of
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) in the
United States, built in 1939,
used Seasonal thermal
energy storage for year-
round heating.
Solar thermal
 Solar Cooking

The Solar Bowl in

Auroville, India,
concentrates sunlight
on a movable receiver
to produce steam for
cooking.
Solar thermal

Solar water heaters facing

the Sun to maximize gain.
Solar water heating
▪ Solar water heating (SWH) or solar hot water (SHW) systems
comprise several innovations and many mature renewable
energy technologies that have been well established for many
years.
▪ SWH has been widely used in the United States, Greece, Cyprus,
Turkey, Israel, Australia, Japan, Austria and China.
▪ SWH systems are designed to deliver hot water for most of the
year. However, in winter there sometimes may not be sufficient
solar heat gain to deliver sufficient hot water. In this case a gas
or electric booster is normally used to heat the water.
Solar water heating

▪ Solar hot water systems use sunlight to heat water. In low

geographical latitudes (below 40o) from 60 to 70% of the
domestic hot water use with temperatures up to 60°C can be
provided by solar heating systems.
▪ The most common types of solar water heaters are evacuated
tube collectors (44%) and glazed flat plate collectors (34%)
generally used for domestic hot water; and unglazed plastic
collectors (21%) used mainly to heat swimming pools.
Solar water heating

The type, complexity, and size of a solar water heating system is

mostly determined by:

▪ The temperature and amount of the water required from the

system.
▪ Changes in ambient temperature and solar radiation between
summer and winter.
▪ The changes in ambient temperature during the day-night cycle.
▪ The possibility of the potable water or collector fluid overheating.
▪ The possibility of the potable water or collector fluid freezing.
 Solar water heating
Types of solar water heating systems
▪ Active and Passive System
❖An active system uses an electric pump to circulate the heat-transfer fluid.
❖A passive system has no pump.

Passive Active
 Solar water heating
▪ Direct and Indirect System
❖Direct or open loop systems circulate potable water through the
collectors. They are cheaper than indirect system but can have
drawbacks:
o They offer little or no overheat protection unless they have a heat export pump.
o They offer little or no freeze protection, unless the collectors are freeze-tolerant.
o Collectors accumulate scale in hard water areas, unless an ion-exchange
softener is used.
• Until the advent of freeze-tolerant solar collectors, they were not considered suitable for cold
climates since, in the event of the collector being damaged by a freeze, pressurized water lines will
force water to gush from the freeze-damaged collector until the problem is noticed and rectified.
Solar water heating
❖ Passive Direct System
An integrated collector storage (ICS or Batch
Heater) system uses a tank that acts as both
storage and solar collector. Batch heaters
are basically thin rectiliner tanks with a glass
side facing the position of the sun at noon.

o They are simple and less costly than plate and tube collectors, but they sometimes require
extra bracing if installed on a roof (since they are heavy when filled with water [400–700 lbs]).
o They suffer from significant heat loss at night since the side facing the sun is largely un-
insulated and are only suitable in moderate climates.
 Solar Water Heating

❖ Passive (Thermosiphon)
Solar water heating

❖Indirect or closed loop systems use a heat exchanger that

separates the potable water from the fluid, known as the "heat-
transfer fluid" (HTF), that circulates through the collector.
oThe two most common HTFs are water and an antifreeze/water mix
that typically uses non-toxic propylene glycol.
oAfter being heated in the panels, the HTF travels to the heat
exchanger, where its heat is transferred to the potable water.
oThough slightly more expensive, indirect systems offer freeze
protection and typically offer overheat protection as well.
Solar water heating

Indirect or closed loop systems

Solar water treatment

• Solar water disinfection (SODIS) involves exposing

water-filled plastic polyethylene terephthalate
(PET) bottles to sunlight for several hours.
• Exposure times vary depending on weather and
climate from a minimum of six hours to two days
during fully overcast conditions.
• It is recommended by the World Health
Organization as a viable method for household
water treatment and safe storage.
• Over two million people in developing countries
Solar water disinfection use this method for their daily drinking water.
Solar water treatment

Small-scale solar powered sewerage treatment plant

Solar process heating
▪ Solar process heating systems are designed to provide large quantities of
hot water or space heating for nonresidential buildings.

➢Evaporation ponds are shallow ponds that concentrate dissolved solids

through evaporation.
➢The use of evaporation ponds to obtain salt from sea water is one of the
oldest applications of solar energy.
➢Modern uses include concentrating brine solutions used in leach mining and
removing dissolved solids from waste streams.
➢Altogether, evaporation ponds represent one of the largest commercial
applications of solar energy in use today.
Solar salt evaporation pond

A salt pan worker in a salt evaporation pond in Tamil Nadu, India

Solar process heating
▪ Unglazed transpired collectors (UTC) are perforated sun-facing walls
used for preheating ventilation air.

➢UTCs can raise the incoming air temperature up to 22 °C and deliver

outlet temperatures of 45-60 °C.
➢The short payback period of transpired collectors (3 to 12 years) make
them a more cost-effective alternative to glazed collection systems.
➢As of 2009, over 1500 systems with a combined collector area of
300,000 m² had been installed worldwide. Representatives include an
860 m² collector in Costa Rica used for drying coffee beans and a 1300
m² collector in Coimbatore, India used for drying marigolds.
Unglazed transpired collectors
Solar drying

▪ Solar thermal energy can be useful for drying wood for

construction and wood fuels such as wood chips for
combustion.
▪ Solar is also used for food products such as fruits, grains, and
fish.
▪ Crop drying by solar means is environmentally friendly as
well as cost effective while improving the quality.
▪ The less money it takes to make a product, the less it can be
sold for, pleasing both the buyers and the sellers.
Solar drying

▪ Technologies in solar drying include ultra low cost pumped

transpired plate air collectors based on black fabrics.
▪ Solar thermal energy is helpful in the process of drying
products such as wood chips and other forms of biomass by
raising the heat while allowing air to pass through and get
rid of the moisture.[
Electricity production

▪ Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity,

either directly using photovoltaics (PV), or indirectly
using concentrated solar power (CSP).

➢ CSP systems use lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to

focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam.
➢ PV converts light into electric current using the photoelectric
effect.
Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)

View of Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System from Yates Well Road,
San Bernadino County, California.
Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)

▪ The principal advantage of CSP is the ability to efficiently

add thermal storage, allowing the dispatching of electricity
over up to a 24-hour period.
▪ Since peak electricity demand typically occurs at about 5
pm, many CSP power plants use 3 to 5 hours of thermal
storage.
 Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)

▪ Commercial CSP plants were first developed in the 1980s. Since

1985 the eventually 354 MW SEGS CSP installation, in the Mojave
Desert of California, is the largest solar power plant in the world.
▪ Other large CSP plants include the 150 MW Solnova Solar Power
Station and the 100 MW Andasol solar power station, both in
Spain.
▪ The 250 MW Agua Caliente Solar Project, in the United States,
and the 221 MW Charanka Solar Park in India, are the world’s
largest photovoltaic plants.
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.
▪ The concentrated heat is then used as a heat source for a
conventional power plant. A wide range of concentrating
technologies exists; the most developed are the parabolic trough,
the concentrating linear fresnel reflector, the Stirling dish and the
solar power tower.
▪ Various techniques are used to track the Sun and focus light. In all
of these systems a working fluid is heated by the concentrated
sunlight, and is then used for power generation or energy storage.
Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)

Concentrated solar power plant using parabolic Fresnel solar power plant PE-1 in southern Spain
trough design
Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)

A parabolic solar dish concentrating the sun's rays on the

Solar Power Tower and
heating element of a Stirling engine.
Heliostats The entire unit acts as a solar tracker
Photovoltaic cell (PV)
▪ A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell , is a device that converts light
into electric current using the photoelectric effect.
▪ Alexandre Edmond Becquerel discovered in 1839, the
photovoltaic effect.
▪ Photovoltaic cells were used mainly for the purposes of
measuring light.
▪ The first solar cell was constructed by Charles Fritts in the
1880s. In 1931 a German engineer, Dr Bruno Lange,
developed a photo cell using silver selenide in place of copper
oxide.
Photovoltaic cell (PV)
▪ Although the prototype selenium cells converted less than 1% of
incident light into electricity, both Ernst Werner von Siemens and
James Clerk Maxwell recognized the importance of this discovery.
▪ Following the work of Russell Ohl in the 1940s, researchers Gerald
Pearson, Calvin Fuller and Daryl Chapin created the silicon solar cell
in 1954.
▪ These early solar cells cost 286 US$/watt and reached efficiencies
of 4.5–6%.
▪ By 2012 available efficiencies exceed 20% and the maximum
efficiency of research photovoltaics is over 40%.
Photovoltaic cell (PV)

19 MW solar park in Germany

Photovoltaic cell (PV)

▪ Solar cells produce direct current (DC) power, which fluctuates

with the intensity of the irradiated light.
▪ This usually requires conversion to certain desired voltages or
alternating current (AC), which requires the use of inverters.
▪ Multiple solar cells are connected inside the modules.
➢Modules are wired together to form arrays, then tied to an
inverter, which produces power at the desired voltage, and for
AC, frequency/phase.
Photovoltaic cell (PV)
Photovoltaic cell (PV)
▪ Solar cells can generate electricity without any waste or pollution, or
dependence on the Earths natural resources.
▪ Solar cells have no moving parts, so they are very reliable and have a
long-life span.
▪ Solar cells are relatively easy to install and are very low maintenance.
▪ A useful characteristic of solar photovoltaic power generation is that it
can be installed on any scale as opposed to conventional forms of power
generation which require large scale plant and maintenance.
▪ Solar cells can be installed to generate power where it is needed which
removes the need to transport and distribute power over long distances
to remote areas.
PV solar panels and thin film solar panels

PV solar panels Thin film solar panels

PV solar panels

▪ The most common types of PV solar panels are made of

crystalline silicon solar cells.
▪ The electricity produced runs through an inverter that
converts the current into electricity that can power anything
from a toaster to a TV to an electric car.
▪ No moving parts, photovoltaic solar panels offer reliable, long-
term energy production.
PV solar panels

▪ The best residential solar panels offer efficiencies of up to 18%

to 19%, producing the most possible electricity per square foot.
▪ Typically, residential solar panels are roof-mounted, although
ground-mounted PV systems can be installed where more land
is available.
▪ Photovoltaic solar panels generally require very little
maintenance, and in areas that offer net metering, excess
electricity can be sent to the local grid so that you earn money
from your solar investment.
Thin film solar panels

▪ Thin film photovoltaic solar panels convert sunlight to

electricity like conventional PV panels, but they are typically
thinner and more flexible.
▪ Generally, the semiconductor layers on thin film solar panels
are only a few millionths of a meter thick, although the name
"thin film" comes from their production process and not
from thickness.
Thin film solar panels
▪ Thin film solar technology is, however, less efficient than conventional
solar panels due to how they are created and the elements in use.
▪ Subsequently, thin film solar panels only reach 6% to 11% efficiency
and will require more roof space to produce the same amount of
electricity as conventional PV solar panels.
▪ Typically, thin film solar technology's best use is for commercial
buildings with lots of rooftop space.
▪ Installation time and costs can also be higher with thin film because
more solar panels and mounting materials need to be installed to
meet the same output as conventional crystalline silicon PV solar
panels.
HISTORY OF SOLAR ENERGY IN THE PHILIPPINES
Solar Energy in the Philippines

The renewable energy industry in the country has recorded an incredible growth in the last few years, evidenced by the availability
of affordable prices of solar panels in the Philippines. There has also been an increase in the number of solar farms in the country.
Solar Energy in the Philippines
▪ Did you know that Philippines can receive an average of
5.1 KWh per square meter per day?
▪ Because the country lies near the equator, solar energy
resources in the Philippines are significantly large. With
the given high amount of sunlight, utilizing solar energy
would not be difficult for both public and private
purposes.
▪ Many Filipinos may not realize it, but the country already
has several milestones with regards to the use of solar
energy.
 2014..
▪ In 2014, SM North Edsa (Quezon City) became the world’s largest solar-
powered mall. This gigantic mall has 5,760 solar panels and 60 inverters
outfitted on its parking building, enough power to energize 1000
households. The 1.5-MW plant’s capacity is expected to operate for the
next 25 years and predictable to offset an approximated 40,000 tons of
carbon dioxide emission, which is about equivalent to planting 200,000
trees.
▪ Manuel L. Quezon University (Quiapo, Manila) also begun using solar
power by installing 320 solar panels on its rooftop. The solar panels can
produce about 96 kilowatts of electricity. The solar project can lower the
school’s electricity consumption by 20% for its continuous operation.
Moreover, MLQU is the Manila’s first solar-powered university.
2015..
▪ Currently, Robinsons Palawan runs its elevators, escalators, and
light fixtures with the 4,710 solar panels installed on its rooftop.
The solar panels can cover about 20% of the mall’s electricity
consumption. Apart from its Palawan branch, Robinsons will also
set up solar panels on three of its branches in Visayas.
2016..
▪ The Calatagan Solar Farm has been starting to generate power last
March 2016. The solar farm is a 63.3 MW solar power plant located
in Calatagan, Batangas. It has 200,000 panels and has a 160 hectares
(500 acres) land area. Instead of being used for growing crops such
as corn or rice, the land was converted to a large solar farm to
generate enough energy to provide power to the whole western
Batangas. With continuous operation (over three decades), the solar
farm is expected to offset beyond 1 million tons of carbon dioxide
emission. This is equivalent to planting over 5 million trees!
Calatagan Solar Farm is considered to be the largest solar facility in
the country to date.
2016..
▪ On March 2016, 3 more solar power plants have begun to be
operational. These are the 135-MW solar power plant in Negros
Occidental, 50-MW solar project in Tarlac, and 29-MW solar
project in Davao. This will add 214 MW to the country’s
electrical supply.
APPLICATIONS OF SOLAR ENERGY IN THE PHILIPPINES
Pangan-an Island solar electrification project

▪ Pangan-an Island, Cebu, Philippines

▪ Centralized solar PV system donated by
the Kingdom of Belgium The stationary
▪ 504 PV panels lead acid
battery banks is
▪ Battery bank with 118 storage batteries composed of 2 -
▪ Charge controller parallel strings
of 59 elements.
▪ 2 inverters made in Germany
▪ Operating since December 1998
▪ Supplying 230 V AC electricity to around Photovoltaic generators
array composed of 504
200 households.
modules

Source: Dialog Asia, 2/2006

Solar panels up ADB roof

▪ Converted ADB Ortigas City

office’s roof into a powerful
solar battery

▪ 2,040 PV solar panels in

6,640 m2 roof
Solar Panels on top of ADB building in
Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City
Source: http://www.renewableenergy.ph/
Solar energy project in Subic Bay Freeport

▪ Subic Bay Solar PV Park is a 100MW solar PV power

project located in Central Luzon. The project is
currently active. It has been developed in multiple
phases. The project got commissioned in 2016.
▪ Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) approved
a clean energy project worth $125M (PhP 5.59 B)
now $200M (PhP 11.4 B) .
▪ The renewable project will cost $125 million and Solar Panels for Subic Bay Freeport ‘s
will be spread over a surface of 300 hectares. The Solar Energy Project
150 to 200 MW of power will be generated at land
situated at Subic’s Mount Sta. Rita and Redondo
Peninsula.
Source: Renewable Power News, 9 January 2011
PV battery charging station

Photovoltaic battery charging station in Antique,

Panay Island, Philippines.
YGC’s own solar power plant

50 MW Tarlac Solar Power Project

PetroSolar Corporation
Largest solar power plant in Southeast Asia

132 MW Cadiz Solar Power Project

Helios Solar Energy Corporation
References (but not limited to)

▪ Energy Conversion by D. Yogi Goswami and Frank Kreith

▪ Solar Energy Engineering by Kalogirou
▪ Awarded Solar Projects as of September 30, 2022 by DOE Philippines
▪ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_energy
▪ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power
▪ http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=0&oq=images+of+solar+panel&ie=UTF
▪ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_hot_water