Solar Energy
Ali Saffar Shamshirgar
Denisa Dosenovicova
Esin Ören
Freddy Kukk
Jaanika Raud
Robert Võeras
Outline
Nature of solar energy
Availability on Earth
Technical potential
Usage worldwide and in Estonia
Solar energy technologies
Advantages and disadvantages
1
Nature of Solar Energy
2
• The Sun formed about 4,500,000,000 years ago and will burn on for
about 5,000,000,000.
• The Sun's energy source is believed to be the thermonuclear fusion of
hydrogen within the Sun.
• In this process radiation
is emitted and radiation
itself is energy in
photon form.
Nature of Solar Energy
• The Sun radiates all kinds of
radiation, especially visible light
• Everything absorbs at least
some amount of light and that
is converted into heat.
• Photovoltaic solar cells use
visible light
3
Solar Energy Potential
Sun’s power -> 3.85 × 1026 W
Earth receives -> 16.2 × 1016 W
Usable Solar exergy -> 16 GW
World energy consumption -> 104,426 TWh
4
Exergy is the useful
portion of energy that
allows us to do work
and energy services.
It is gathered from
energy-carrying
substances in the
natural world that we
call energy sources.
Global Exergy Flux Chart(gcep.stanford.edu)
While energy is
conserved, the
exergetic portion can
be destroyed when it
undergoes an energy
conversion.
Solar Energy Resources
5
Solar irradience is the power per unit area produced by the Sun in the form of
electromagnetic radiation
Technical Potential
1980 (Real Data)
(207,368 KM2)
2008 (Real Data)
(366,357 KM2)
2030 (Projection)
(496,805 KM2)
www.landartgenerator.org
6
7
Technical Potential
Assumptions and Facts
• 20% Panels efficiency
• 70% Sunny days
Total Energy Needs
(2030)
678 quadrillion Btu =
198,721,800,000,000 kWh
• 1000 Watts/m2
1980 (Real Data) Electricity Generation
(207,368 KM2)
2008 (Real Data)400 kWh/m2
(366,357 KM2)
2030 (Projection)
(496,805 KM2)
EIA [US Energy Information Administration]
Required Land
496,805 km2
Progress in solar PV markets and installation
iea [International Energy Agancy]
8
Global Cumulative Growth of PV Capacity
iea [International Energy Agancy]
9
Annual growth of solar technologies worldwide
10
Solar Energy Situation in Estonia
11
• Solar energy is mainly used in separated households and in case of
small autonomous systems
• Solar radiation of the surface of Estonia is around 1000 kWh/m2/y
• Maximum surface area of solar panels can be around 400-500 km2
12
Solar Energy Technologies
• Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into either electricity or heat
using direct or indirect way.
Direct
Solar Energy
• Photovoltaics
Indirect
Hybrid
• Solar thermal
collectors
• Solar
architecture
(passive solar
building design)
• PVT system
• CPV/CSP system
13
Direct Photovoltaics
• Photovoltaics convert light into an electric current via the photovoltaic effect
using semiconducting material.
• Material currently used: Si (expensive), CdTe, CIGS(toxic), conductive polymers
(low efficiency) etc.
Mechanism of organic solar cell
PV plant in Greece (13 MW)
Source: https://cnx.org/contents/3QU3ovtd@1/An-Introduction-to-Solar-Cell-_
Source:http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/details/beitrag/greece-added-just-13-mw-in-2014-_100018626/
14
PV system
Source: http://www.kewsolar.co.uk/techinfo/panels.aspx
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHVZ6jEf8To
• Photovoltaic power capacity is measured as maximum power output under
standardized test conditions (STC) in Wats peak. The actual power output at a
particular point in time may be less than or greater than this standardized value,
depending on geographical location, time of day, weather conditions, and other
factors.
• Solar photovoltaic array capacity factors are typically under 25%, which is
currently lower than many other industrial sources of electricity.
15
Indirect: Solar Thermal Collectors
• Solar hot water panels, solar parabolic through, solar power tower.
• These use collectors that capture solar irradiation.
• Can be used to produce heat or electricity (indirectly).
Solar parabolic through
Source: http://www.seia.org/policy/solartechnology/concentrating-solar-power
Solar power tower, Spain 50MW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1-zjbRqYXk
Source:http://www.thinkglobalgreen.org/spain.html
Solar hot water panel
Source (http://sustainablewarwick.org/category/renewable-energy/
16
Indirect: Solar Architecture
• Windows, walls, and floors are made to collect, store, and distribute solar energy in the form
of heat in the winter and reject solar heat in the summer.
• Does not involve the use of mechanical or electrical devices
• The key to design a passive solar building is to best take advantage of the local climate
performing an accurate site analysis.
• Elements to be considered include window placement and size, and glazing type, thermal
insulation, thermal mass, and shading.
• Passive solar design techniques can be applied most easily to new buildings, but existing
buildings can be adapted or "retrofitted"
Mechanism of passive solar building
An example of passive solar building
Source:http://nisekoprojects.com/tapping-free-energy-passive-solar-design/
Source:http://nisekoprojects.com/tapping-free-energy-passive-solar-design/
17
Summary
Advantages
• Endless, FREE!!! resource
• Environmentally friendly
• Supply not controlled by
electricity company
• Stable price
• Once PV panels are set up
maintenance costs are low
Disadvantages
• The Sun is not always present
• Currently expensive to install
• Biological resource impacts
References
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• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_energy
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_thermal_collector
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltaics
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_thermal_energy
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power
• http://www.energiatalgud.ee/index.php?title=P%C3%A4ikeseenergia
_ressurss
• https://gcep.stanford.edu
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_energy_consumption
• http://hypertextbook.com/facts/1999/MatthewTsang.shtml
Thank you for your
attention