Junior Skills

Solar Energy
Lesson 4
 Energy access using

0
RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES
Solar PV Electricity Applications

| Presentation Title | Presenter Name | Date | Subject |

Business Use Only
4
2
 Topics Covered

Introduction to Solar PV
• Energy from the Sun
• Solar Photovoltaics Technology – Mono Si, Poly Si and Thin Film
• Solar PV Cell, Module and Array
Small Scale Electricity Applications, their Cost and Maintenance
 Energy from the Sun

• The sun is like a sphere which contains hot gases. Due to nuclear fusion reactions happening at
the core, the internal temperature of sun reaches over 20 million degree Kelvin.

• Heat energy is transferred from inner layer to outer layer by the process of convection and then
radiated into the space.

• The Earth has access to this energy 365

days a year for almost 8 hours per day (on
an average).
 Energy from the Sun

• The entire ecosystem on earth exists because of the sun’s energy, which is also called
‘Solar Energy’.

Heat
Sun
Solar
Light
Photovoltaic

• The rays of the sun mainly has two components:

• Heat and Light.
• The Light component of the Sun’s power can be used to produce electricity.
 Solar Photovoltaic Cell Basics
The technology to convert solar energy into electrical energy is called
‘ Solar Photovoltaics’
The Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) technology uses Solar Cell for this conversion

The Most
common material
used in solar cells
is Silicon
 Solar PV Cell Technology

• The first generation of PV technologies used crystalline structure of silicon (Si) to produce the solar
cells

• Today, a number of technologies and materials are used to make solar cell. Among the most
common are:

•
 Solar PV Cell Technology –
mono-crystalline silicon solar cell
• This type of cell is the most commonly used, and will continue to be the leader until a more efficient
and cost effective PV technology is developed.
• It essentially uses crystalline Si p–n junctions
• Efficiency of mono-crystalline silicon solar cell has reached around 23% (laboratory scale)
 Solar PV Cell Technology – Poly Si

• The efforts of the photovoltaic industry to reduce costs and increase production have led to the
development of new crystallization techniques.

• Poly-crystalline was the outcome of these efforts. Such technology is becoming more attractive
because manufacturing cost is lower even though these cells are slightly less efficient (15%)
 Solar PV Cell Technology – Thin Film
• Unlike crystalline forms, thin film panels are created by depositing thin layers of certain materials on glass or
stainless steel (SS) substrates.
• The resulting advantage is a lowering in manufacturing cost.
• Four kinds of thin film cells have emerged as commercially important:
• amorphous Si cell (multiple-junction structure),
• thin poly-crystalline Si,
• copper indium diselenide/cadmium sulphide hetero-junction cell, and
• cadmium telluride / cadmium sulphide hetero-junction cell.
• Efficiencies of thin film solar modules are lower than crystalline.
 Efficiencies of Various PV Technologies

• Si-wafer based PV technology accounted for about 93 % of the total production in 2015.
• The share of multi-crystalline technology is about 68% of total production.
• In 2015, the market share of all thin film technologies was about 8%
 Solar PV Module

The Solar PV Module is manufactured from Silicon as depicted below:

• Silicon is converter into Ingots, which are then sliced into Wafers..
• The Silicon Wafers are then manufactured into Solar PV Cells, that are assembled further into Solar PV Modules:
• SPV Module is the product which a costumer get with SPV system

Cells
Silicon Ingots Wafers Modules
 Solar PV Module Sample Specifications
An SPV module is characterized by specifications which are listed on the back of the panel by the
manufacturer.

Sample Technical Specifications of a Solar PV panel

Front Side Back Side
Parameter Value
Max Power Pmax (W) 100 W
Power Tolerance (+/-) 0.05%
Max Power Voltage Vmp (V) 18 V
Max Power Current Imp (A) 5.56 A
Open Circuit Voltage Voc (V) 22.3 V
Short Circuit Current Isc (A) 6.1 A
Max. System Voltage Vdc 1000/600 V
 Solar PV Array

Cell Module String Array

PV Cell: It is defined as the semiconductor device that directly converts sunlight energy into electricity (direct
current).
Module: It is defined as the series connected assembly of solar PV cells to generate dc electricity.
String: It consists of a number of modules connected in series
Array: It is defined as several strings connected together in parallel
 Small Scale Electricity Applications

Portable Lanterns Home Lighting Home Loads like Street Lights

Systems Fans and TV

Water Pumps Solar Agro

Sprayer
 Portable Solar Lanterns

• A Solar Lantern is a portable lighting device consisting of a PV module, battery, lamp, and
electronics.
• Battery, lamp, and electronics are placed in a suitable housing, made of metal or plastic or fiber glass.
• The Solar lantern is suitable for either indoor or outdoor lighting, covering a full range of 360 degrees.

LED Lantern SPV Module

 Solar Home Lighting

• The Solar Home Lighting System consists of a PV module, control electronics, battery, and
luminaire(s).
• There are several Solar Home Lighting models featuring one, two, or four luminaires based on White
Light Emitting Diodes (W-LED).
• A solar home lighting system provides a comfortable level of illumination in one or more rooms of a
house.
 Solar Home Lighting with Fans and TV

• The Solar Home Lighting system could also be used to run a small DC fan or a 12-V DC television
along with LED Lamps.
 Solar Street Lights

• A Solar Street Light is an outdoor lighting

unit used for illuminating a street or an
open area.

• The luminaire is mounted on a pole at a

suitable angle to maximize illumination
on the ground.

• A battery is placed in a box attached to

the pole (usually at a height).
 Solar Street Lights

• The PV module is placed at the top of

the pole at an angle facing south so
that it receives solar radiation
throughout the day, without any
shadow falling on it.

• Electricity generated by the PV module

charges the battery during the day time
which powers the luminaire from dusk
to dawn.

• The street light switches on at dusk

and turns off at dawn automatically.
 Solar PV Water Pumping System

• A 1000 Wp solar water pump is capable of drawing and pumping approximately 40,000 L of water/ day
from a source up to 10 meters deep. This is sufficient to irrigate about 2 acres of land with regular
crops.

• A 1000 Wp solar water pump helps save up to Rs 45,000 when compared to equivalent use of a
diesel-operated pump over a year. 
 Solar PV Water Pumping System - Components
• PV array which converts solar energy to DC electricity .
• Mounting structure of PV array can have manual as well as
automatic tracking.
• Motor and pump subsystem comprising the components which
convert the electrical output of the PV array into hydraulic power.
• MPPT /DC-DC Converter/ VFD based controllers enhance the
system output.
• Storage and distribution system which delivers the water to its
point of use
 Solar PV Water Pumping System – Maintenance

Once a week:
• Cleaning of Panels
Once in 6 months:
• Check for Shadow on panels
• Lubrication of parts
• Check carbon brushes for replacement
Once in a year:
• Clean foot valve
• Check wiring and connections
Once in 2 years:
• Replace Carbon Brushes of pumps
 Solar Agro Sprayer
• Solar agro sprayer can be used as a fuel alternating
device as the cost of fuel is increasing every passing day.
• It works on the principle of solar photovoltaic (PV), with
certain modifications on the existing power sprayer in the
market.
• The design of solar agro sprayer consist of three main
parts namely,
 Solar panel unit
 Storage battery unit and
 Rotating motor
• The annual maintenance charge of the sprayer is around
Rs. 500 with the initial investment of Rs. 7000 towards the
cost of the sprayer
 Small Scale Solar PV System

Solar PV Power System

(with Battery Bank)

Solar PV Power System

(without Battery Bank)

Micro Grid Mini Grid

Street Lights through
SPV Power System
 Solar PV Power System (with Battery Bank)
• In small scale or rooftop SPV system, the DC power generated from SPV panel is
 Either utilized directly by DC loads
 Or converted to AC power using power conditioning unit

• In case of off grid applications, the current flow is controlled by a charge controller which feeds power as per
DC load requirement. AC loads may also be fed through an inverter.
 Solar PV Power System (without Battery Bank)
The grid-interactive rooftop system can work on net metering basis wherein the beneficiary pays to the
utility on net meter reading basis only. Alternatively two meters can also be installed to measure the
export and import of power separately.
 Grid connected Solar PV Power Plant
• For grid connected systems, the power is fed either to 33 kV/11 kV three phase lines or of 440/220 Volt three/single
phase line.
• The interconnection depends on the capacity of the system installed at institution/commercial establishment or residential
complex and the regulatory framework specified for respective States.

• The power generated should

either be directly utilized, or fed
into the grid. If it is to be stored
for utilization at a later stage, a
battery bank can be connected to
the system.
 Small Scale Solar PV System - Maintenance
• A sample maintenance schedule which should be followed and maintained by a trained and authorized personnel:

Sl. No. Maintenance Work Frequency

1 Ensure security of the power plant Daily
2 Inspect and clean the PV modules from dust and other dirt like Weekly
bird’s dropping etc. as and when required
3 Monitor power generation and export Daily (Remotely)

4 Keep the inverters clean to minimize the possibility of dust Quaterly

ingress
5 Ensuring all electrical connections are kept clean and tight Half-yearly
6 Check mechanical integrity of the array structure Annually
7 Check all cabling for mechanical damage Annually
8 Check output voltage and current of each string of the array Annually
and compare to the expected output under the existing
conditions
9 Check the operation of the PV array DC isolator Annually
 Mini and Micro Grid

• A ‘Mini Grid’ consists of a system having an RE

based electricity generator or multiple sources
of generation.
• It supplies electricity to a target set of
consumers (residents for household usage,
commercial, productive, industrial and
institutional setups etc.) through a Public
Distribution Network (PDN)
• It is characterized by a capacity of 10 kW and
above.
 Mini and Micro Grid
• A ‘Micro Grid’ system is similar to a mini grid but having a RE based generation capacity of below
10KW.
• Micro and mini grid is generally operate in isolation to the electricity networks of the DISCOM grid
(standalone), but can also interconnect with the grid to exchange power.
• If connected to grid they are termed as grid connected mini/ micro grid.
 Mini and Micro Grid: Maintenance and Indicative Cost
• Every mini/micro grid project should ideally have a dedicated ‘operator’ –trained local personnel of the
community – to operate the project.

• In case a number of mini-grids in the proximity are being operated, the same local personnel may
perhaps be appointed for the job.

• A cluster of mini/micro grids together can be managed by a ‘supervisor’ appointed by the ESCO who
oversees the activities of ‘operators’, and provides guidance as and when required.

Sl. No. SPV System Capacity

1 Micro Grid (DC) Up to 10 kWp

2 Mini Grid >10 to 250 kWp
 End of Lesson 4

Points of Discussion
 How is electricity generated from Solar Energy?
 What are the Solar PV Technologies available commercially?
 What are the opportunities for using various solar PV systems in your
locality?
 What can be the new Solar PV application in your area?