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2021/5/8 Solar Energy | Renewable Energy Sources
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Solar Power Tower

December 16, 2009 1 comment
Power towers use a circular or semi-circular array of heliostats (large individually-tracking

mirrors) to concentrate sunlight on to a central receiver mounted at the top of a tower.
A heat transfer medium in this central receiver absorbs the highly concentrated radiation reflected
by the heliostats and converts it into thermal energy to be used for the subsequent generation of
superheated steam for turbine operation. Heat transfer media so far demonstrated include
water/steam, molten salts, liquid sodium and air.
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Concentrating sunlight over 500 times, power tower technology has the potential advantage of
delivering high temperature solar heat in utility scale quantities at temperatures of 500°C or more Close and accept
for steam cycles and greater than 1,000°C for gas turbines and combined cycle power plants.
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Parabolic dish collector

December 14, 2009 Leave a comment
Using parabolic dishes is a well-tested approach to concentrate solar radiation, and was an early
experimental tool at many locations worldwide. The optical efficiency of parabolic dishes is
considerably higher than that of trough, LFR or power tower systems because the mirror is
always pointed directly at the sun, whereas the trough, LFR and power tower have a reduction in
projected area due to a frequent low angle of incidence of the solar radiation. A schematic is
shown in Figure.
A typical Parabolic dish collector system

Solar bowl system

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A solar bowl is a spherical dish mirror that is fixed in place. The receiver follows the line focus
created by the dish (as opposed to a point focus with tracking parabolic mirrors).
The concentration part of the job is performed using variations of lenses or mirrors that take in the
solar rays and concentrate them on to the collectors.
The extreme energy thus produced then gets utilized in a way depending on the type of
technology we’re dealing with, i.e. in case of concentrator photovoltaic, the concentrators
concentrate the sun light directly on to the high-performance solar cells which convert the thermal
energy into electrical energy.
Whilst in case of concentrating solar thermal systems, the concentrated light generates high
thermal energy on a heat capturing point the heat from which can then be used directly.
Concentrating photovoltaic and thermal (CPVT)

Concentrating Photovoltaic and Thermal (CPVT) technology produces both electricity and
thermal heat in the same module, thermal heat that can be employed for hot tap water, heating
and heat-powered air conditioning (solar cooling), desalination or solar process heat.
CPVT systems can be used in private homes and increase total energy output to 40-50%, as
compared with normal PV panels with 10-20% efficiency. CST systems have been studied in this
work and the relevant types of collectors are discussed in following section.
Concentrating solar thermal

Concentrating solarincluding
To find out more, thermalhowpower (CST)
to control technology
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light on a
heat capturing point, the heat from which can then be either used directly or converted to
electricity. Close and accept
Concentrating Photovoltaic
Concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) uses lenses (Fresnel lens for example) or variations of mirrors
to focus or enhance the sun’s light on a photovoltaic solar panel or cell. This technology includes
both a low-concentration approach, which increases the sun’s magnification by less than 5 “suns,”
and high concentration approach, which can increase the magnification by hundreds of suns.
High-concentration CPV uses focusing lenses to concentrate the sun’s rays on a single, high
efficiency solar cell that is very small, on the order of 1-centimeter square.
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Focusing (concentrating) collectors

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There are a variety of types of concentrating solar thermal collectors. They achieve higher
temperatures by using a concentrating reflector to direct sunlight from a large area to a smaller
receiver and absorber area. A liquid is pumped through the absorber, where it is heated and then
sent to a storage system or used directly for heating.
Concentrating collectors work best in climates that have a high amount of direct solar radiation.
They do not function as well on cloudy days, when available solar radiation is mostly diffuse. The
amount of useful heat they produce is mainly a function of the intensity of solar radiation available,
the size of the reflector, how well they concentrate solar energy onto the receiver, the
characteristics of the absorber, and the control of the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid.
Energy from the sun

In the time of growing energy needs and ever-increasing environmental concerns, fresh
alternatives to the non-renewable and polluting fossil fuels are being investigated so aggressively
than never before. One such alternative is solar energy.
Simply put, solar energy is the energy produced directly by the sun and collected elsewhere,
normally the Earth. The sun creates its energy through a thermonuclear process which converts
about 65crore tons of hydrogen to helium every second creating heat and electromagnetic (EM)
radiation. The heat remains in the sun and is instrumental in maintaining the thermonuclear
reaction. The EM radiation (including visible light, infra-red light, and ultra-violet radiation)
streams out into space in all directions.
Only a very small fraction of the total radiation produced reaches the Earth. The radiation that
does reach the Earth is the indirect source of nearly every type of energy used today with the
exceptions of geothermal energy, and nuclear fission and fusion. Even fossil fuels owe their origins
to the sun; they were once living plants and animals whose lives depended upon the sun.
Solar radiation is electromagnetic radiation in the 0.28 – 3.0 µm wavelength range. The solar
spectrum includes a small share of ultraviolet radiation (0.28 – 0.38 µm) which is invisible to our
eyes and comprises about 2% of the solar spectrum, the visible light which range from 0.38 to
0.78 µm and accounts for around 49% of the spectrum and finally of infrared radiation with long
wavelength (0.78…3.0 µm), which makes up most of the remaining 49% of the solar spectrum.
The sun generates an enormous amount of energy – approximately 1.1 x 1020 kilowatt-hours
every second. (A kilowatt-hour is the amount of energy needed to power a 100 watt light bulb
for ten hours).
The earth’s outer atmosphere intercepts about one two-billionth of the energy generated by the
sun, or about 1500 quadrillion (1.5 x 1018) kilowatt-hours per year. Because of reflection,
scattering, and absorption by gases and aerosols in the atmosphere, however, only 47% of this,
or approximately 700 quadrillion (7 x 1017) kilowatt-hours, reaches the surface of the earth. In
the earth’s atmosphere, solar radiation is received directly (direct radiation) and by diffusion in air,
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Figure: Depiction of beam and diffuse components of solar insolation
The amount of incident energy per unit area and day depends on a number of factors, viz.
latitude, local climate, season of the year, inclination of the collecting surface in the direction of the
sun.
The Earth receives 174 petawatts (PW) of incoming solar radiation (insolation) at the upper
atmosphere. Approximately 30% is reflected back to space while the rest is absorbed by clouds,
oceans and land masses. The total solar energy absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere, oceans and
land masses is approximately 3,850,000 exajoules (EJ) per year. In 2002, this was more energy
in one hour than the world used in one year.
The amount of solar energy reaching the surface of the planet is so vast that in one year it is about
twice as much as will ever be obtained from all of the Earth’s non-renewable resources of coal,
oil, natural gas, and mined uranium combined.
From the table of resources it would appear that solar, wind or biomass would be sufficient to
supply all of our energy needs, however, the increased use of biomass has had a negative effect
on global warming and dramatically increased food prices by diverting forests and crops into
biofuel production.
Therefore, the solar energy is undoubtedly the most sought after energy source and the future is
essentially going to depend upon how soon – eligibly and efficiently – man succeeds in harnessing
this tremendous energy coming from the sun.
Flat plate collectors

Flat-plate solar thermal collectors produce heat at relatively low temperatures (27°C to 60°C),
and are generally used to heat air or a liquid for space and water heating or drying agricultural
products. For electricity generation purposes however, they’ve been found to be minimum
effective since the heat generated in working fluid must be high enough.
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Types of collectors for solar energy

November 30, 2009 Leave a comment
Due to the nature of solar energy, two components are required to have a functional solar energy
generator. These two components are: a collector and a storage unit. The collector simply collects
the radiation that falls on it and converts a fraction of it to other forms of energy (either electricity
and heat or heat alone).
Figure demonstrates two common types of collectors discussed in following section set up to
concentrate sun’s rays on the receivers. The storage unit is required because of the non-constant
nature of solar
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The storage unit can hold the excess energy produced during the periods of maximum
productivity, and release it when the productivity drops. In practice, a backup power supply is
usually added, too, for the situations when the amount of energy required is greater than both
what is being produced and what is stored in the container.
Methods of collecting and storing solar energy vary depending on the uses planned for the solar
generator. In general, there are three types of collectors and many forms of storage units.
The three types of collectors are flat-plate collectors, focusing collectors, and evacuated tube
collectors.
Solar power: Electricity generation

Much of the world’s required energy can be supplied directly by solar power. More still can be
provided indirectly. Solar power is the result of converting sunlight into electricity.
PV has mainly been used to power small and medium-sized applications, from the calculator
powered by a single solar cell to off-grid homes powered by a photovoltaic array.
Sunlight can be converted directly into electricity using photovoltaic (PV), or indirectly with
concentrating solar power (CSP), which normally focuses the sun’s energy to boil water which is
then used to provide power.
Applications of solar technology

Solar energy refers primarily to the use of solar radiation for practical ends. However, all
renewable energies, other than geothermal and tidal, derive their energy from the sun.
Solar technologies are broadly characterized as either passive or active depending on the way
they capture, convert and distribute sunlight. Active systems are generally those that are very
visible like solar collectors or photovoltaic cells.
Passive systems are defined as those where the heat moves by natural means due to house design
which entails the arrangement of basic building materials to maximize the sun’s energy. Whatever
it be, solar energy finds its applications in existentially all walks of human life and for that matter
the life as we see on planet earth.
These include applications in architecture and urban planning, agriculture and horticulture
(Greenhouse effect), heating, cooling and ventilation (solar chimney, solar air conditioning etc.),
cooking, water treatment (solar hot water systems, solar combisystem), solar lighting (daylighting
systems, hybrid solar lighting system etc.), distillation, drying, process heat (solar pond, salt
evaporation pond, and solar furnace), experimental solar power (solar pond and
thermogenerator), solar chemical (Sandia’s Sunshine to Petrol (S2P) technology for example),
solar vehicles (electric boat, and solar balloon) and most importantly electrical generation (solar Close and accept
power technology).
Compact linear Fresnel reflector

A Linear Fresnel Reflector (LFR) is a single-axis tracking technology that focuses sunlight
reflected by long heliostats onto a linear receiver to convert solar energy to heat. The classical
linear Fresnel system uses an array of mirror strips close to the ground to direct solar radiation to
a single, linear, elevated, fixed receiver. A schematic is shown in Fig. 1.3. The technology is seen
as a lower cost alternative to trough technology for the production of solar steam for power
generation.
Figure: A typical Compact linear Fresnel reflector system
The advantages of the Linear Fresnel collector, compared to trough collectors, are seen to be :
Inexpensive planar mirrors and relatively simpler tracking system.

Highly efficient use of land since the collectors can be placed close to one another.
Due to direct steam generation no heat exchanger is necessary — although trough
technology also is evolving to direct steam generation.
Fixed absorber tube with no need for flexible high pressure joints or thermal expansion
bellows. No vacuum technology and no metal-to-glass sealing.
Wind loads are substantially reduced on the reflector strips, so the reflector width for one
absorber tube can be up to three times the width of parabolic troughs.
Parabolic trough collector system

A schematic of this system is shown in Figure; parabolic trough plants are considered to be the
most economic and most mature technology available today. Parabolic trough-shaped mirror
reflectors are used to concentrate sunlight onto thermally-efficient receiver tubes placed in the Close and accept
trough focal line.
Figure: A typical Parabolic trough collector system
In these tubes a thermal transfer fluid is circulated, such as synthetic thermal oil. Heated to
approximately 400°C by the concentrated sun’s rays, this oil is then pumped through a series of
heat exchangers to produce superheated steam. The steam is converted to electrical energy in a
conventional steam turbine generator, which can either be part of a conventional steam cycle or
integrated into a combined steam and gas turbine cycle.
Disadvantages of focusing collectors

October 24, 2009 Leave a comment
Concentrating systems require sun tracking to maintain Sunlight focus at the collector.
Inability to provide power in diffused light conditions. Solar Cells are able to provide some
output even if the sky becomes a little bit cloudy, but power output from concentrating
systems drop drastically in cloudy conditions as diffused light cannot be concentrated
passively.
Advantages of focusing collectors

A larger area can be covered by using relatively inexpensive mirrors rather than using
expensive solar cells.
Good efficiency. By concentrating sunlight current systems can get better efficiency than
simple solar cells.
Very high temperatures reached. High temperatures are suitable for electricity generation
using conventional methods like steam turbine or some direct high temperature chemical
reaction.
To Heat
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accomplished, often by underground tank storage of heated fluids. Molten salts have been
used to good effect. Close and accept
Concentrated light can be redirected to a suitable location via optical fiber cable. For
example illuminating buildings.
Three Concentrating Technologies have reached to a

stage maturity for power generation
Solar Thermal Power Systems

The majority of electricity generated in the world today comes from thermally driven fossil
fuel based systems.
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The concept of substituting solar radiation for these input leads the consideration of Solar
Thermal Power production.
Solar radiation is the largest renewable resource on earth.

Approximately 1 % of the world’s desert area utilized by solar thermal power plants would
be sufficient to generate the world’s entire electricity demand.
This energy source is more evenly distributed in the sunbelt of the world than wind or
biomass, allowing for more site locations.
Small-scale solar thermal systems were demonstrated as early as the 1860s in France and
the US.
Today, the largest solar thermal power plants are the up to 80MWe in south California.
There are 9 plants which have a combined nominal capacity of 354MWe and annually
generate around 800GWh,enough to power a city of two lakh people.
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2021/5/8 Solar Energy | Renewable Energy Sources

Renewable Energy Sources

Type text to search here...

Archive for the ‘Solar Energy’ Category

Solar Power Tower

Power towers use a circular or semi-circular array of heliostats (large individually-tracking

Parabolic dish collector

A typical Parabolic dish collector system

Solar bowl system

Close and accept

Concentrating photovoltaic and thermal (CPVT)

Concentrating solar thermal

Close and accept

Focusing (concentrating) collectors

Energy from the sun

Close and accept

Figure: Depiction of beam and diffuse components of solar insolation

Flat plate collectors

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Types of collectors for solar energy

Solar power: Electricity generation

Applications of solar technology

Compact linear Fresnel reflector

Figure: A typical Compact linear Fresnel reflector system

Inexpensive planar mirrors and relatively simpler tracking system.

Parabolic trough collector system

Figure: A typical Parabolic trough collector system

Disadvantages of focusing collectors

Advantages of focusing collectors

Three Concentrating Technologies have reached to a

Solar Thermal Power Systems

Solar radiation is the largest renewable resource on earth.

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Solar Power Tower

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m.nikhil on Classification of Nuclear…

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