Solar energy scenario in India

• 200 clear sunny days.

• Annual reception :- 5000 trillion kWh
• Potential of 35 MW per square km.
• Average solar energy incident:- 4-7 kWh/m2
• Solar energy produced is only 0.5 % of other
energy sources.
What is a Solar Updraft Tower?
• Sometime also called as ‘solar chimney’
or just ‘solar tower’.
• It is a solar thermal power plant.
• Combination of solar air collector and
central updraft tube to generate a solar
induced convective flow.
 Three essential elements
• Solar air collector
• Chimney/Tower
• Wind turbines
Working of Solar Updraft Tower
• Air is heated by solar radiation under a
low circular transparent or translucent
roof open at the periphery

• Thus, the roof and the natural ground

below it form a solar air collector.

• In the middle of the roof is a vertical

tower with large air inlets at its base.
Contd….
• The joint between the roof and
the tower base is airtight.
• As hot air is lighter than cold air
it rises up the tower.
• Suction from the tower then
draws in more hot air from the
collector, and cold air comes in
from the outer perimeter
 Properties of Collector
• Hot air for the solar tower is produced by the
greenhouse effect.
• It consist of a glass or plastic glazing stretched
horizontally several meters above the ground.
• The height of the glazing increases adjacent to
the tower base.
• This glazing admits the solar radiation
component and retains long-wave re-radiation
from the heated ground.
Working of solar updraft tower
Storage
Design of Solar Updraft Tower
• Output of solar tower:-
P = Qsolar . ŋcoll . ŋtower . ŋturbine

• Input of solar tower:-

Qsolar = Gh . Acoll

• Efficiency of Tower:-
ŋtower = Ptot /Q
 How draft is caused?
• The tower converts the heat-flow into
kinetic energy and potential energy.
• Density difference of the air caused by
the temperature rise in the collector
works as a driving force.
• The lighter column of air in the tower is
connected with the surrounding
atmosphere at the base and at the top
of the tower, and thus acquires lift.
 Advantages of Solar tower
• There’s no fuel (no exploration, transport,
disposal, smog, or landscaping costs)
• The primary cost is in the initial development
as operating costs are minimal
• No pollution or planet-warming gases.
• As compared to wind farms, the sun is more
consistent (in the right locations).
• Freely available source of energy.
 Disadvantages of Solar Tower
• Conversion of solar to electrical energy is
only 0.5 % (5 W/m2 of 1 kW/m2)
• Initial cost is very high.
• Design is complicated.
• More area is required for the construction
of solar tower.
(Burronga Station, Riverland
area of New South Wales,
Australia)
Specifications of Enviro Mission
Tower
• Electricity generation :- 200 MW.
• Chimney height :- 1000 metre (3281 feet).
• Collector :- 7 km diameter.
• Wind speed :- 70 km/hr (49 ft/sec).
• Consist of 32 wind turbines.
• 35 degrees Celsius on the edges of the greenhouse
to around 70 degrees Celsius once it reaches the
middle.
• Cost of electricity will be 7 euro cents per kWh.
 Features of Enviro Mission
Solar Tower
• Cost of project is about one billion
australian dollars.
• Will provide enough electricity for
around 2,00,000 households.
• It will abate over 9,00,000 tons of
greenhouse gases from entering the
environment.
Prototyping
• Located in Manzares,
Spain.
• 50 kW prototype plant.
• Operated for seven
years and conclusively
proved this technology.
• It was a base for
construction of the 200
MW project.
Comparison of enviro mission tower
with other tall buildings