Solar Technology Basics

Module 1 : Solar Technology Basics

Module 2: Solar Photo Voltaic Module Technologies

Module 3: Designing Solar PV Systems ( Rooftops)

Module 4: Designing Solar PV Systems (Utility Scale)

Module 5: Financial Analysis

Module 6: DPR (Detailed Project Report) & EPC

Module 7: The present Solar industry scenario and the future

Solar Panels: A eco-friendly electric generator

The Definition: A collection of individual silicon cells that generateelectricity from sunlight.

The physics: The photons (light particles) produce an electrical current as theystrike the surface of the thin silicon wafers.

The bright side: Generating free power from the sun by converting sunlight toelectricity with –

no moving parts zero emissionsno maintenance

Technology Options for Solar power

Parabolic Dish

Solar Power

Thermal

Low Temperature

<100°C.

Solar Water Heating (FP/ET)

Solar Chimney

Solar Pong

Med Temp <400°C. Focusing Parabolic

High Temp. >400°C.

Central Tower.

PV

Technology

Mono Crystalline

Silicon

Polycrystalline Silicon

Amorphous Silicon

Production Process

Wafer

Thin Film

Solar Photo Voltaic

Electricity Generation

Photovoltaic cells directly convert sunlight Into electricity.

Current is produced based on types of silicon (n- and p-types) used for the layers.

Since there are no moving parts, there is no wear.

Lifespan is about 20-25 years.

Solar PV technologies are usually classified into three generations, depending on the basis material used and the level of commercial

maturity.

First generation PV System:

Use of wafer based crystalline silicon (c-Si) either single crystalline

or multi-crystalline.

Second Generation PV Systems: Based on the thin-film technology and generally includes: Amorphous silicon admium Telluride (CdTe) and copper Indium – Selenide (CIS) & Copper Indium Gallium Di-Selenide (CIGS)

Third Generation PV Systems:

Concentrating Solar PV (CPV), Desensitize PV, Polymer cells etc. are

still in demonstration or have not yet been

commercialized widely.

Single/mono-crystalline silicon solar cell

• Pure and hence more efficient.

• Most efficient solar cell technology till date, having a module efficiency of 15-19%.

Multi-Crystalline silicon solar cell (poly-Si or mc-Si)

• Multiple layers of silicon and hence the name.

• These cells have module efficiency of around 12-15%.

THIN FILM POLYCRYSTALLINE

SOLAR CELL

These are the new generation solar cells that contain multiple thin film layers of just 1 micron thick of photo voltaic materials.

Thin film cell technology• Multiple thin layers of photovoltaic materials are

imposed on a low cost substrate to form solar thin films. Different types of thin film solar cells available are:

• Amorphous silicon (Efficiency: 5-7%)• Copper indium di-selenide (Efficiency: 9-11%)• Cadmium telluride (Efficiency: 8.5%)• Dye- sensitized (Efficiency: 5-12%)

Solar Thermal

SOLAR THERMAL SYSTEMS Convert solar energy in the form of heat as the main energy source.

Main application:

1. Cooking2. Water heating3. Refrigeration4. Electric power generation

The heart of a solar thermal system is solar collector. It absorbs solar heat, and transfers it to the system.

There are different design concepts for collectors such as flat-plate collectors, evacuated flat-plate collectors, evacuated-tube collectors and concentrating collectors.