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Tech Sem 5
Renewable Energy Resources
Unit III
Solar Energy Applications
By
VinyA Bhay (⌐■_■)
Solar Water Heating System
Solar water heating system is a device that helps in heating water by using the energy from the SUN. This energy is
totally free. Solar energy (sun rays) is used for heating water. Water is easily heated to a temperature of 60-80o C.
Solar water heater of Solar water heaters (SWHs) of 100-300 liters capacity are suited for domestic use. Larger
systems can be used in restaurants, canteens, guest houses, hotels, hospitals etc. A 100 liters capacity SWH can
replace an electric geyser for residential use and may save approximately 1500 units of electricity annually. The use
of 1000 SWHs of 100 liters capacity each can contribute to a peak load saving of approximately 1 MW. A SWH of 100
liters capacity can prevent emission of 1.5 tons of carbon dioxide per year.

Working of a Solar Water Heater

The Sun’s rays fall on the collector panel (a component of solar water heating system). A black absorbing surface
(absorber) inside the collectors absorbs solar radiation and transfers the heat energy to water flowing through it.
Heated water is collected in a tank which is insulated to prevent heat loss. Circulation of water from the tank
through the collectors and back to the tank continues automatically due to thermo siphon system. Based on the
collector system, solar water heaters can be of two types: A solar water heater consists of a collector to collect solar
energy and an insulated storage tank to store hot water. The stored hot water can be used later any time.
Main Components of Solar Water Heating System
 Solar Collector( to collect solar energy)
 Insulated tank (to store hot water)
 Supporting stand
 Connecting pipes and instrumentation etc.
Applications of Solar Water Heater
Water heating is one of the most cost-effective uses of solar energy. Every year, several thousands of new solar
water heaters are installed worldwide. Solar water heaters can be used for Homes, Community Centers, Hospitals,
Nursing homes, Hotels, Restaurants, Dairy plants, Swimming Pools, Canteens, Ashrams, Hostels, Industry etc. Use of
solar water heater can curtail electricity or fuel bills considerably.
Usage of solar water heater for any application where steam is produced using a boiler or steam generator can save
70-80% of electricity or fuel bills. A residence can save 70-80% on electricity or fuel bills by replacing its conventional
water heater with a solar water heating system. Solar water heaters are known to have the fastest repayment of
investment in 2 to 4 years depending upon use and fuel replaced.
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Solar Air Heater
Solar air heating is a solar thermal technology in which the energy from the sun, insolation, is captured by an
absorbing medium and used to heat air. Solar air heating is a renewable energy heating technology used to heat or
condition air for buildings or process heat applications. It is typically the most cost-effective out of all the solar
technologies, especially in commercial and industrial applications, and it addresses the largest usage of building
energy in heating climates, which is space heating and industrial process heating.
The heat absorbed by the absorber plate is transmitted to the air drawn into the collector. The hot air leaves the
collector to a storage tank for further use. If the size of collector is large, a blower is used to draw air into the
collector and transmit the hot air to dryer. The most favorable orientation, of a collector, for heating only, is due
south at an inclination angle to the horizontal equal to the latitude plus 15*

Solar space heating

Space heating is of particular relevance in colder countries where a significant amount of energy is required for the
heating. In India, it is of importance mainly in the northern and north eastern regions in winter. Space heating can be
done by two methods:
(i) Passive methods
(ii) Active methods
Passive method of space heating
Space heating gives a fair degree of comfort by adopting passive method. A passive method is one in which thermal
energy flows through a living space by natural means without the help of a mechanical device like a pump or blower.
Typically, passive solar heating involves:
 The collection of solar energy through properly-oriented, south-facing windows.
 The storage of this energy in "thermal mass," comprised of building materials with high heat capacity such as
concrete slabs, brick walls, or tile floors.
 The natural distribution of the stored solar energy back to the living space, when required, through the
mechanisms of natural convection and radiation.
 Window specifications to allow higher solar heat gain coefficient in south glazing.

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Active method of space heating
Space heating system mainly consists of an array of collectors arranged on the roof of a building, insulted storage
tank, auxiliary heater, pump/blower and heat exchanger. Liquid/air gets heated up in the flat plate collectors. The
hot fluid passes to storage tank. The fluid from storage tank is transmitted by pump/blower to heat exchanger. The
heat exchanger blows out hot air and heats up the surrounding living space in the building. Again the cool air/water
passes to the storage tank, which supplied to flat plate collectors for heating. In the absence of solar energy, an
auxiliary heater is used for space heating.
Solar Space Cooling:
In the chiller, refrigerant vapor from the evaporator is absorbed by a solution mixture in the absorber. This solution
is then pumped to the generator. There the refrigerant re-vaporizes using a waster steam heat source. The
refrigerant –depleted solution then returns to the absorber via a throttling device. The two most common
refrigerant/absorbent mixture used in absorption chillers are water/lithium bromide and ammonia.
System uses a low-temperature liquid refrigerant that absorbs heat from the water to be cooled and converts to a
vapor (in the evaporator section). This is used for space cooling. The refrigerant vapor is then compressed to a higher
pressure by a compressor or generator and converted back into a liquid by rejecting heat to the external surrounding
in the condenser section.
Next, it is expanded to a low-pressure mixture of liquid and vapor (in the expander valve), which boils in the
evaporator section, absorbing heat and producing the cooling effect. Then the cycle is repeated. Heat provided in
the system is by solar collector in the form of hot water.

Solar Drying:
One of the traditional uses of solar energy has been for drying of agricultural products. The drying process removes
moisture and helps in preservation of the product. Traditionally drying is done on open ground. The disadvantages
associated with the traditional system of drying are slow process, uncontrolled drying, quality deterioration, and
losses due to birds, rodents and insects. Drying under solar cabinet or convective dryers can be done faster and in a
controlled condition.

Advantages of Solar Drying System

1) Better Quality of Products are obtained
2) It reduces losses and better market price to the products.
3) Products are protected against flies, rain and dust;
4) Product can be left in the dryer overnight during rain, since dryers are waterproof.
5) Prevent fuel dependence and Reduces the environmental impact
6) It is more efficient and cheap.

Disadvantages of Solar Drying System

1) Quality of products are not obtained in some cases.
2) Adequate solar radiation is required.
3) It is more expensive
4) Require more time for drying.

Distributed type solar dryer:

A typical distributed-type active solar dryer is shown in Figure. It comprises four components: a drying chamber, a
solar energy air heater, a fan, and ducting to transfer the hot air from the collector to the dryer. In this design, the
crop is located on trays or shelves inside an opaque drying chamber, which does not allow the solar radiation to
reach the product directly. Air, which is heated during its passage through an air solar collector by the action of a fan,
is ducted to the drying chamber to dry the product. The advantage of not allowing the solar radiation to reach the
product directly is outlined in the passive section.

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Advantages and Disadvantages:
(1) Drying rate is high as compare to direct solar drying.
(2) Final condition of product after drying can be controlled scientifically.
(3) Losses in product are avoided on the circumstances of natural phenomena.
(4) Floor surface area required is very low for the same quantity of material in direct solar drying.
(5) Same dryer can be used for different seasonal products.
(6) Preserve the nutrient content in product as avoiding direct exposure to solar radiations.
(7) Main disadvantage of indirect solar drying is the high initial cost.
Integrated type solar dryer:
In integral-type natural-circulation solar-energy dryers (often termed direct solar dryers), the crop is placed in a
drying chamber with transparent walls that allow the insolation necessary for the drying process to be transmitted.
Thus, solar radiation impinges directly on the product. The heat extracts the moisture from the crop and
concomitantly lowers the relative humidity of the resident air, thereby increasing its moisture carrying capability.

Disadvantage:-
(1) It depends on climate conditions and requires a large surface and longtime of exposure to the sun.
(2) Final product condition is on observations of unskilled human being.
(3) Final condition of dried product will never control scientifically.
(4) Product may loss quantity wise on attack of birds, animals and rodents.
(5) Product may expose to all kinds of weather changes.
(6) Drying rate is very low for direct solar drying.
(7) The direct exposure to sunlight can greatly reduce the level of nutrients such as vitamins in the dried product.

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Solar Still
A solar still is a green energy product that uses the natural energy of the sun to purify water. The solar-still process
uses the sun instead of other sources such as fossil fuels to gain the energy needed for purification. Solar stills are
then able to supply pure water for drinking and cooking, even in areas where there are no other sources of energy,
while still being friendly to the environment.
Solar stills are used across the world to provide clean, drinkable water to the masses. Some solar stills are used in
homes to help reduce energy costs and pollution, while others are used in poverty-stricken areas around the world
where there are no other sources of clean drinking water.
Equipment
A solar still is made up of a two water troughs and a piece of glass running across the top of the water containers.
Dirty water is placed in one of the troughs, while the other remains empty. The glass is placed across the top at an
angle, angling directly down into the empty trough. The bottom of the trough containing the dirty water is usually
painted black to help absorb the energy from the sun.
Evaporation
A solar still works on two scientific principles: evaporation and condensation. First, the water that needs to be
purified is placed in the trough with the black bottom. The solar still is then allowed to sit in the sun, which allows
the still to absorb the sun's short-wave energy. As the energy is absorbed, it starts to heat the water. As the
temperature of the water rises, the liquid H20 is converted into steam and evaporates towards the glass ceiling,
leaving anything that is not pure H20 in the trough below.
Condensation
The second scientific principle on which a solar still acts is condensation. After the water begins to evaporate, it hits
the glass ceiling. The water slowly condenses on the glass, causing pure water droplets. Since the glass is angled
down toward the second trough, the water droplets roll down and into the clean water trough. Because none of the
minerals, bacteria or other substances are able to evaporate with the pure H20, the water droplets that end up in
the second trough are simply purified, and are now safe for drinking and cooking.
PH Levels
In most other sources of purification, such as commercial water-bottling plants, the water is boiled as part of the
purification process. As the water is boiled, the PH level drops dramatically, causing flat-tasting water. With a solar
still, the water is purified naturally, allowing the PH levels to stay balanced.

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Photo-voltaic conversion:
A photovoltaic (PV) panel, commonly called a solar panel, contains PV cells that absorb the sun’s light and convert
solar energy into electricity. These cells, made of a semiconductor that transmits energy (such as silicon), are strung
together to create a module. A typical rooftop solar panel has 30 modules. When the semiconductor in the
photovoltaic panels absorbs the sunlight, this knocks the electrons (which form the basis of electricity) free from
their place, and they can now flow through the semiconductor. These dislodged electrons, each carrying a negative
charge, flow across the cell toward the front surface, creating an imbalance in charge between the front and the
back. Photovoltaic cells produce electricity because this imbalance, in turn, creates a voltage potential like the
negative and positive terminals of a battery.
The current is then collected on wires and then used immediately or stored in a battery of the photovoltaic system.
It’s not true that solar cells only work when the sun is shining. But they won’t generate as much power on a cloudy
day as on a sunny one.

Components:
Photovoltaic modules: a photovoltaic system captures the energy radiated by the sun thanks to the use of special
components called photovoltaic modules that is able to produce electricity when hit by sunlight.
Support structures of the modules: these structures support the modules by fixing them to the roof. In the case of
flat roofing, support structures exist that can also modify the orientation of the panels, optimizing their exposure by
tilting them towards the sun's rays.
Inverter: this is the electronic device that transforms the energy produced by the modules (so-called direct current -
DC) into the type of energy used by residential or industrial users (so-called alternating current - AC). For greater
system safety, inverters also have protection devices that cause them to shut down in case of a power failure or
network disturbance.
Electric cables: these are the cables that carry energy from the system to the users.
A monitoring system: this enables the remote monitoring of the photovoltaic systems, energy production and
consumption as well as verifying the status of the inverter.
Energy storage: this is an innovative system that enables users to improve the efficiency of their solar PV systems by
storing the energy produced during the day in order to use it later, when the system is not producing energy. In
doing so, users are able to maximize their consumption of the energy produced by their photovoltaic system without
having to alter their consumption habits.

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