GROUP 3: SOLAR ENERGY

Presented by :
1. Kevin Obure
2. Gideon Kiprono
3. Moses Makau
4. Jacob Kanyakera
1. Exploitation of Solar Energy

• Exploitation of solar energy refers

primarily to the trapping and utilization
of energy from the sun naturally.
Sunshine duration is measured using an
instrument called the Campbell-stokes
recorder.
(A). Thermodynamic solar electricity

• Focusing the sun rays on a single point or

on a line can produce high temperatures.
This principle of concentration uses
parabolic collectors or solar thermal
electric power plants.

• The heat transfer fluids then heat the

steam, which drives a turbo alternator, as
in standard thermal power plants which
can produce power amounting to a total
power rating of 354MW.
 (B). Thermal solar energy
• THERMAL SOLAR ENERGY IS USED MAINLY IN TWO
APPLICATIONS: HEATING OF DOMESTIC HOT WATER AND
HEATING OF PREMISES. SOLAR THERMAL ENERGY (STE) IS A
TECHNOLOGY FOR HARNESSING SOLAR ENERGY FOR THERMAL
ENERGY (HEAT).
• WHEN A DARK SURFACE IS PLACED IN SUNSHINE, IT
ABSORBS SOLAR ENERGY AND HEATS UP. A SOLAR
THERMAL COLLECTOR WORKING ON THIS PRINCIPLE
CONSISTS OF A SUN FACING SURFACE WHICH
TRANSFERS PART OF THE ENERGY TO A WORKING
FLUID SUCH AS WATER OR AIR.
 (C). Photovoltaic solar
electricity.

Solar technologies convert sunlight

into electrical energy either
through photovoltaic (PV) panels or
through mirrors that concentrate
solar radiation. This energy can be
used to generate electricity or be
stored in batteries or thermal storage
Example: Kenyatta University
Solar Farm
 The first phase, of 100 kW, which was
commissioned in December 2017, occupies 3
acres and cost a total of Sh17mn
(US$165,400)
 Once the remaining project is complete, it is
set to have a capacity of 10MW, allowing the
institution to generate its own power and
supply the excess to the grid.
 The cost of the overall project is anticipated
to total Sh1.7bn ($16.5mn)
 The power generated is expected to be
consumed by the university, with the rest
Socio-economic Impacts of Solar Energy

 Improved living standards

 Improved health care
 Increased tele-connectivity
 Improved food security
 Creates employment opportunities
Environmental impacts of Solar Energy

The environmental impacts can be categorized into:

1. Land use
 Solar energy facilities require large areas for collection
of energy hence interfere with existing land uses.

 Solution: This can be minimized by siting the facilities

at lower quality locations
2. Soil and Air Resources

 Construction of solar facilities causes soil compaction, alteration of drainage

channels and increased soil erosion

 Solar power plants release soil-carried pathogens and results in an increase in air
particulate matter
3. Water Resources

 Chemical spills from facilities may result in the contamination of groundwater

 Central tower systems require water for cooling. This causes a strain on the
available water resources
4. Ecological Impacts

The clearing of large areas of land affects vegetation and wildlife in the following
ways:
 Loss of habitat
 Interference with rainfall and drainage
 Direct contact causing injury or death
5. Hazardous materials

 The PV cells manufacturing process includes hazardous materials e.g.

hydrochloric acid

 If not handled and disposed properly, these materials could pose serious
environmental threats
6. Life-cycle global warming emissions

 There are emissions associated with

other stages of the solar life-cycle
including;
a. manufacturing
b. material transportation
c. installation
d. Maintenance
e. decommissioning
INTERNATIONAL PROTOCOLS IN
ENERGY MATTERS
 The Aarhus Protocol
 Multi effect protocol
 Energy Community
 MARPOL 73/78
 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution
 Kyoto protocol
 Montreal Protocol
 The Aarhus Protocol
 A 1998 PROTOCOL ON PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS (POPS), IS AN ADDITION
TO THE 1979 GENEVA CONVENTION ON LONG-RANGE TRANSBOUNDARY AIR
POLLUTION (LRTAP). THE PROTOCOL SEEKS "TO CONTROL, REDUCE OR ELIMINATE
DISCHARGE, EMISSIONS AND LOSSES OF PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS" IN
EUROPE, SOME FORMER SOVIET UNION COUNTRIES, AND THE UNITED STATES, IN
ORDER TO REDUCE THEIR TRANSBOUNDARY FLUXES SO AS TO PROTECT HUMAN
HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT FROM ADVERSE EFFECTS.
Multi effect protocol
 THE MULTI-EFFECT PROTOCOL OR THE GOTHENBURG PROTOCOL) IS A MULTI-
POLLUTANT PROTOCOL DESIGNED TO REDUCE
ACIDIFICATION, EUTROPHICATION AND GROUND-LEVEL OZONE BY SETTING
EMISSIONS CEILINGS FOR SULPHUR DIOXIDE, NITROGEN OXIDES, VOLATILE
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS AND AMMONIA TO BE MET BY 2010. AS OF AUGUST 2014,
THE PROTOCOL HAD BEEN RATIFIED BY 26 PARTIES, WHICH INCLUDES 25 STATES
AND THE EUROPEAN UNION.
Energy Community
 THE ENERGY COMMUNITY, ALSO REFERRED TO IN THE PAST AS THE ENERGY
COMMUNITY OF SOUTH EAST EUROPE, IS AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION
ESTABLISHED BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU) AND A NUMBER OF THIRD
COUNTRIES TO EXTEND THE EU INTERNAL ENERGY MARKET TO SOUTHEAST EUROPE
AND BEYOND. WITH THEIR SIGNATURES, THE CONTRACTING PARTIES COMMIT
THEMSELVES TO IMPLEMENT THE RELEVANT EU ENERGY ACQUIS COMMUNAUTAIRE, TO
DEVELOP AN ADEQUATE REGULATORY FRAMEWORK AND TO LIBERALIZE THEIR ENERGY
MARKETS IN LINE WITH THE ACQUIS UNDER THE TREATY.
 THE ENERGY COMMUNITY LEGAL FRAMEWORK COVERS LEGISLATION IN THE FIELDS OF
ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, AND COMPETITION OF THE EU LEGISLATION.
MARPOL 73/78
 THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE PREVENTION OF POLLUTION
FROM SHIPS, 1973 AS MODIFIED BY THE PROTOCOL OF 1978 (MARPOL 73/78) IS
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT INTERNATIONAL MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL
CONVENTIONS. IT WAS DEVELOPED BY THE INTERNATIONAL MARITIME
ORGANIZATION WITH AN OBJECTIVE TO MINIMIZE POLLUTION OF THE OCEANS
AND SEAS, INCLUDING DUMPING, OIL AND AIR POLLUTION.
International Convention for the Prevention of
Pollution of the Sea by Oil
 THE OILPOL CONVENTION RECOGNIZED THAT MOST OIL POLLUTION RESULTED
FROM ROUTINE SHIPBOARD OPERATIONS SUCH AS THE CLEANING OF CARGO
TANKS. IN THE 1950S, THE NORMAL PRACTICE WAS SIMPLY TO WASH THE TANKS
OUT WITH WATER AND THEN PUMP THE RESULTING MIXTURE OF OIL AND WATER
INTO THE SEA. OILPOL 54 PROHIBITED THE DUMPING OF OILY WASTES WITHIN A
CERTAIN DISTANCE FROM LAND AND IN 'SPECIAL AREAS' WHERE THE DANGER TO
THE ENVIRONMENT WAS ESPECIALLY ACUTE.
 Kyoto protocol
The Kyoto Protocol was an international
treaty which extended the 1992 United
Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits
state parties to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, based on the scientific
consensus that (part one) global
warming is occurring and (part two) that
human-made CO2 emissions are driving
it. The Kyoto Protocol was adopted
in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997
and entered into force on 16 February
2005. There were 192 parties
(Canada withdrew from the protocol,
effective December 2012) to the Protocol
in 2020.
 Montreal Protocol
 THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL ON SUBSTANCES THAT DEPLETE THE OZONE
LAYER, ALSO KNOWN SIMPLY AS THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL, IS
AN INTERNATIONAL TREATY DESIGNED TO PROTECT THE OZONE LAYER BY
PHASING OUT THE PRODUCTION OF NUMEROUS SUBSTANCES THAT ARE
RESPONSIBLE FOR OZONE DEPLETION.