Solar Energy

By: Shrihari Bhaskaramurthi

Erin Uhelski

What can solar energy be used for?

• Water heating• Home heating• Battery charging• Power home with solar energy• Solar ovens for cooking• Outdoor lighting• Pool heating• Natural lighting and drying

How is this type of energy easily renewed?

• Is viable while the sun is still shining

• Only exceptions would be locations of higher latitude have less sun intensity, and solar energy cannot be collected during the night

What is the cost of using this type of energy?

• For a 3-7 kilowatt design…– Equipment costs (45%)

• Solar panels:$4500-12000• Power inverter:$1000-3000• Mounting hardware:$800-2000• Wiring:$1000-2000

– Installation and Permitting Costs (25%)• System Installation:$2000-4000• Permits and Fees:$3000-6000

– Sales, Marketing, and Operational Costs (30%)• Monitoring:$1000-2000• Maintenance/Repair costs vary on situation• Additional operational and overhead costs:$4000-9000

• GRAND TOTAL: $18000-40000

What are the positive aspects of this energy source?

• Reduces pollution- less CO2 released into air, less smog, less deforestation to get to coal

• Stabilizes economy- Light from the sun is free for everyone• Less Political Tensions- sunlight is available to everyone as

opposed to oil which is concentrated in certain parts of the globe and not in others

• Increases Home Safety -Solar energy is more stable, no oil spills or nuclear catastrophes

• Passive Use -doesn’t have to be solar panels, Thermal mass can be used with solar energy; we can make walls that are dense so that they will store energy and release the heat slowly

• Health Benefits- help with vitamin-D deficiency

Real Life Example

• OMC is a company that provides solar resources to villages in rural India.

• “We provide a lighting solution that is approximately 120 rupees ($2) a month. And kerosene costs [customers] approximately three to four dollars a month,” says Dinesh Gupta, OMC’s head of Rollout and Operations. "And those figures don’t even take into account the savings from the health impacts of not burning dirty kerosene.“

• In 2011, OMC had one solar plant running. By the end of 2012 they had ten throughout Uttar Pradesh. Gupta expects to hit 100 or more plants by the end of 2014.

What are the negative aspects to using this type of energy?

• Storage Units– you have to store heat energy in water so mold or

fungi could grow in containers

• Solar Panels– made of a harmful material, silicon, that if breathed in,

scars the lung tissue. A rare occurrence, though.

• Cost and Efficiency – expensive up-front cost, but long term benefits

outweigh this.– can only provide energy during the day in certain

areas

How is Energy Gathered?

• Solar photovoltaic cells consist of a positive and a negative film of silicon placed under a thin slice of glass.

• As the photons of the sunlight beat down upon these cells, they knock the electrons off the silicon.

• The negatively-charged free electrons are preferentially attracted to one side of the silicon cell, which creates an electric voltage that can be collected and channeled. 

How is the Energy Stored?

• This current is gathered by wiring the individual solar panels together in series to form a solar photovoltaic array. Depending on the size of the installation, multiple strings of solar photovoltaic array cables terminate in one electrical box, called a fused array combiner. Contained within the combiner box are fuses designed to protect the individual module cables, as well as the connections that deliver power to the inverter.

Waste By-Products (Not Plentiful)

• Solar energy uses photovoltaic cells to produce solar power.

• However, manufacturing the photovoltaic cells that produce the energy requires silicon which produces some waste products.

• Inappropriate handling of these materials may lead to hazardous exposure to humans and the environment.

• Installing solar power plants may require large pieces of land, which may impact existing ecosystems.

• However, solar energy does not pollute the air when converted to electricity by solar panels. It is found in abundance and does not increase global warming.

What is Keeping it from Widespread Use?

• The main impediment to their widespread use has to do with the cost of construction and upkeep.

• As it currently stands, these systems produce electricity at a cost that is slightly more than $.10/kWhr, which 1.5-2 times that of coal or natural gas.

• The price on these systems has been coming down, but it must continue to come down in order to make it economically feasible.

• If it does, large systems built in the desert southwest could supply a large percentage of the total electrical demand of the U.S.

When Will the General Public Have Easy Access?

• It is already accessible to the general public. • Money is the biggest issue, but many

homeowners in Europe have availed for grants to build solar panels on their houses instead of using non-renewable power sources.

• Sun Run is an example of a company that is working to help people become aware of solar energy and use it in their houses.

How Does It Look????

Sources

• http://esa21.kennesaw.edu/activities/solar/solaractivity.pdf

• http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/SolarEnergy.php#sthash.UDOaIVd9.dpuf

• http://www.nwwindandsolar.com/solar-power-in-seattle-and-the-northwest/how-do-solar-systems-produce-energy/

• http://finance.yahoo.com/news/sunrun-outback-power-pilot-renewable-143000518.html