SUSTAINABLE ARCHITCTURE

1. What are non-conventional energy sources? Explain any two sources

with example and illustrate how it could have tapped stored and used?
 Non - conventional sources of energy: The energy derived from
wind, tides, sun, geothermal heat and biomass (including farm and
animal waste as well as human excreta) is termed
as non- conventional sources of energy.
 Non-conventional energy sources also called Renewable sources,
are sources that are continuously replenished by natural
processes.
 All these sources are renewable and environment friendly.
 They are relevant because, Use of non-conventional sources of
energy is encouraged because of an objective of sustainable
development as it does not cause environmental hazards.
 With increasing demand for energy and with fast
depleting conventional sources of energy such as coal, petroleum,
natural gas, etc. The non-conventional sources of energy are
gaining importance. This energy is abundant, renewable, pollution
free and eco-friendly.

Types of Non-convention sources

 Solar Energy
 Wind Energy
 Hydro energy
 Tidal Energy
 Geothermal Energy
 Biomass

SOLAR ENERGY is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using
a range of ever-evolving technologies such as solar heating,
photovoltaics , solar thermal energy, solar architecture, molten salt power
plants and artificial photosynthesis.
People can harness the sun's energy in a few different ways:
 Photovoltaic cells, which convert sunlight into electricity.
 Solar thermal technology, where heat from the sun is used to make hot
water or steam.
 Passive solar heating, which can be as simple as letting the sun shine
through windows to heat the inside of a building.
Photovoltaic cells
 A photovoltaic cell absorbs light and converts it directly into electricity. A
group of photovoltaic cells is known as a solar panel.
 Photovoltaic is the technical term for solar electric.
 Photo means "light" and voltaic means "electric".
 PV cells are usually made of silicon, an element that naturally releases
electrons when exposed to light.
 Amount of electrons released from silicon cells depend upon intensity of
light incident on it.
 The silicon cell is covered with a grid of metal that directs the electrons
to flow in a path to create an electric current.
 This current is guided into a wire that is connected to a battery or DC
appliance.
 Typically, one cell produces about 1.5 watts of power.
 Most PV cells have two layers of semi-conductor material, one positively
charged and one negatively charged. When light shines on the semi-
conductor the electric field across the junction between these two layers
causes electricity to flow, generating direct current (DC). By placing
metal contacts on the top and bottom of the PV cell, we can draw that
current off for external use.
 Electric grid storage
Grid energy storage lets electric energy producers send excess electricity
over the electricity transmission grid to temporary electricity storage
sites that become energy producers when electricity demand is greater,
optimizing the production by storing off-peak power for use during peak
times. Photovoltaic users can avoid the necessity of having battery
storage by connecting to the grid, which effectively becomes a giant
battery.
Solar batteries
 Solar batteries work by converting the DC energy being produced by
solar panels and storing it as AC power for later use. In some cases, solar
batteries have their own inverter and offer integrated energy
conversion. The higher the battery’s capacity, the larger the solar system
it can charge.
 If solar panels are producing more electricity, the excess energy goes
towards charging the battery. Later, when solar panels aren’t producing
electricity, draw down the energy you stored earlier in your battery for
night use.
 only send electricity back to the grid when battery is fully charged, and
only draw electricity from the grid when battery is depleted.