Solar Energy

Dr. Ashwini Kuumar Nayak

Asst. Professor
School of Electrical Sciences
National institute of Science &
Technology
Solar Energy
• The sun radiates energy uniformly in all
directions in the form of electromagnetic waves.
• It provides the energy needed to sustain life in
our solar system.
• It is a clean, inexhaustible, abundantly and
universally available renewable energy source.
• The output of sun is 2.8× 1023kW. The energy
reaching the earth is 1.5 × 1018kWh/year.
Cont..
• Solar energy can be utilized directly in two ways: (i)
by collecting the radiant heat and using it in a
thermal system is known as Solar Thermal or (ii) by
collecting and converting it directly to electrical
energy using Photovoltaic system is known as Solar
Photovoltaic (SPV) system.
• The sun, which is the largest member of the solar
system, is a sphere of intensely hot gaseous matter
with a diameter of 1.39 × 109 m and, at an average
distance of 1.495 × 1011 m from the earth.
• The innermost region, the core, the temperature is
estimated between 8 × 106 to 40 × 106 K.
Cont..
• High inner temperature is maintained by enormous
energy released due to continuous fusion reaction.
• In this reaction, four hydrogen atoms (protons)
combine to form one helium atom.
• The mass of the helium nucleus is less than that of
four protons, the difference of mass having been
converted to energy in fusion reaction.

• The surface of the sun is maintained at a

temperature of approximately 5800 K.
Sun, Earth Radiation Spectrum
• The wavelength distribution of radiation emitted
by a black body is given by Planck’s law

where C1 and C2 are called Plank’s first and second

constants respectively
λ is wavelength in m and T is temperature in
kelvin.
Cont..
• Solar constant Isc is defined as the energy
received from the sun per unit time on a unit
area of surface perpendicular to the direction of
propagation of the radiation, at the earth’s mean
distance from the sun. World Radiation Center
(WRC) has adopted a value of Isc as 1367 W/m2
which is universally accepted.
Extraterrestrial and Terrestrial
Radiations
• The intensity of solar radiation keeps on
attenuating as it propagates away from the
surface of the sun, though the wavelengths
remain unchanged.
• Solar radiation incident on the outer atmosphere
of the earth is known as Extraterrestrial
Radiation, Iext.
• The extraterrestrial radiation deviates from solar
constant value due to
▫ the variation in the radiation emitted by the sun
itself which is less than ±1.5 per cent
▫ The variation of earth–sun distance arising from
earth’s slightly elliptic path which is ±3 per cent
and is given by

where, n is the day of the year starting from January

1.
SPECTRAL POWER DISTRIBUTION OF
SOLAR RADIATION
• Solar radiation covers a continuous spectrum of
electromagnetic radiation in a wide frequency range.
• About 99 per cent of the extraterrestrial radiation has
wavelengths in the range from 0.2 to 4 μm.
• About 6.4 per cent of extraterrestrial radiation energy is
contained in ultraviolet region (λ < 0.38 μm); another 48 per
cent is contained in the visible region (0.38 μm < λ < 0.78 μm)
and the remaining 45.6 per cent is contained in the infrared
region (λ > 0.78 μm).
• There is almost complete absorption of short wave radiation in
range (λ < 0.29 μm) and infrared radiation in range (λ > 2.3
μm) in the atmosphere.
• Thus, from the point of view of terrestrial applications of solar
energy, the radiation only in the range of wavelengths between
0.29 and 2.3 μm is significant.
Solar Thermal System
• In cold climate regions, large amount of
low-grade thermal energy is required for heating
air and hot water for domestic and industrial
needs.
• Even in high temperature heating applications a
significant amount of fuel can be saved by using
solar energy for preheating
• Thus, manufacturing of solar water heaters has
become a thriving industry in Australia, Israel,
USA and Japan.
SOLAR COLLECTORS
• Solar power has low density per unit area (1
kW/sq. m. to 0.1 kW/sq. m.).
• Hence, it is to be collected by covering large
ground area by solar thermal collectors.
• Solar thermal collector essentially forms the first
unit in a solar thermal system.
Types of Solar Collector
Solar collectors
Non concentrating type
(Flat plate collector)
(a) Liquid flat plate collector
(b) Flat plate air heating collector
Line focus (one axis tracking)
Concentrating (CPC) type (a)
Cylindrical parabolic concentrator (b)
Fixed mirror solar concentrator(c)
Linear Fresnel lens collector
Concentrating type
Non focus type(a) Modified flat
Focus type plate collector (b) Compound
Parabolic Concentrating (CPC)
type
Point focus (two axis tracking)
(a) Paraboloidal dish collector
(b) Hemispherical bowl mirror
conc.(c) Circular Fresnel lens conc.(d)
Central Tower receiver