Solar Energy

What is Solar Energy?

Solar energy is harnessing the radiant light energy emitted from the sun and converting it to electrical current.

Only a small percentage (approx 2 billionths or 0.00000007%) of the sunlight reaches the earths surface yet this is still more than enough to meet the energy and power needs of the entire human population 8500 times over.

Solar Energy is measured in kilowatt-hour. 1 kilowatt = 1000 watts.

1 kilowatt-hour (kWh) = the amount of electricity required to burn a 100 watt light bulb for 10 hours.

In one hour more sunlight falls on the earth than what is used by the entire population in one year.

Solar energy is also responsible for weather patterns and ocean currents.

Solar Energy

Advantages• Solar energy is free and

inexhaustible fuel source

• No fuel, waste or pollutions is expelled in its usage

• Useful in remote areas

• Can be used for low power purposes as well as large ones eg battery chargers, calculators to cars and satellites

• Sunlight is provided whether we use it or not

Disadvantages• Sun does not shine constantly (new

technologies are over coming this)

• Solar energy is a diffuse source. In order to harness it we must concentrate it into an amount and form we can use such as heat or electricity

• Can have associated problems with collection, conversion and storage

Solar Thermal Energy

Is a technology for harnessing solar energy for thermal energy (heat)

Can be graded in three levels – Low temperature collector are flat

plates generally used to heat pools– Medium temperature collectors are

usually flat plates used for heating water for residential and commercial use

– High temperature collectors concentrate sunlight using mirror and lenses and are generally used for electric power production.

Sketch of a parabolic trough design ahigh temperature collector.

Solar hot water heater a medium temperature collector

Thermal Electricity Parabolic Dishes and Troughs

Parabolic troughs use a curved, mirrored trough which reflects the direct solar radiation onto a glass tube containing a fluid running through the length of the trough positioned at the focal point of the reflectors. The troughs rotate to follow the sun

Parabolic dish systems uses a large reflective parabolic dish to focus all of the sunlight on to a focal point above the dish where a receiver catches the heat and transforms it into a useful form.

Thermal Electricity Power TowersPower towers capture the sun’s thermal energy with thousands of tracking mirrors called heliostats. The sunlight is concentrated and focused towards a receiver located on a tower sitting in the middle of all the mirrors. The receiver heats molten salt to very high temperatures (over 500degrees C). The heated molten salt flows into a storage tank where it is stored and pumped into a steam generator.

This process is similar to a standard coal fired power plant but uses clean free solar energy.

Passive Solar Passive solar involves using sunlight for energy with the use of active mechanical

systems. A common example of this is passive solar building design.

Passive solar requires almost no supervision, little or no maintenance and require little additional cost.

We also use passive solar to• Dry our clothes in the sun • Dry food - sundried tomatoes• Use windows to let light and warmth in

Solar Electricity - Photovoltaic Cells

The first photovoltaic cell was invented in 1954 by Bell Telephone Researches.

Photovoltaic is the practice of converting the sun's energy directly into electricity using photovoltaic cells. Photovoltaic cells are often referred to as PV cells or solar cells.

Photovoltaic systems produce clean, reliable electricity without consuming any fossil fuels.

Local Solar Designs

Midland Atelier Biggest solar system in the Eastern Corridor Perth. Installed over 201 solar panels that will generate over 60kW of clean energy for the building to utilise

Perth Arena Will have a 110kW solar energy system installed,will generate enough power to to meet the Arenas base power requirements.

Highly visible from Perth CBD building and freeway more than 50,000 people will see this example of renewable energy everyday

Perth Solar City initiative $85million

Future solar projects include• Perth Zoo• Central Institute of Tafe• Kings Park

China Worlds largest solar power building located in Dezhou in Shangdong Province, China.

Built in the shape of a sun dial, the building uses absolute solar energy for powering its varied facilities including hotel, exhibition centers, scientific research areas, meeting rooms.

China has over 400 photovoltaic (PV) companies and produces approximately 18% of the photovoltaic products worldwide.

Sahara Desert

If just 0.3% of the Saharan Desert was used for a concentrating solar plant, it would produce enough power to provide all of Europe with clean renewable energy. So that is why the worlds largest Solar Project planned for the Sahara Desert, Africa

The project is expected to cost approximately $560bn and take 10 -15 year before it begins to operate.

Artist impression of the solar plant

The red squares in the above map represent the land area necessary to meet the energy demand of the world, the EU and MENA in 2005.

Spain Spain is one of the most advanced countries in the development of solar energy.

It the receives more hours of sunshine than any other European country.

The Spanish government is committed to achieving a target of 12 percent of primary energy from renewable energy by 2010

Spain is the fourth largest manufacturer in the world of solar power technology and exports 80 percent of this output to Germany. Worlds biggest solar power tower PS20 is in

Seville, Spain. The plant uses a field of 1,255 flat mirrors, or heliostats, to concentrate sunlight on a receiver mounted on a central tower.

Solar Art

Solar Energy Tree, Milan

Solar Powered LED Art in China GreenPix ground breaking project that applies sustainable and didgital development Media technology to the exteria wall of the Xicui entertainment centre in Beijing

Self sufficient organic system that harvests solar energy by day and uses it to illuminate the screen after day

Solar Tree Street Lamps, Vienna

Solar Planes Is not a new concept, the worlds first official flight in a solar powered man carrying aircraft occurred in 1979.

Would you fly in a solar power plane?

Eric Raymond is flying across Europe in an aircraft powered by the suns rays to prove that "solar airplane" is not an oxymoron - but a viable means of air travel.

Future of Solar

Flexible panels Sphelar a matrix of tiny spherical shaped solar cells that can absorb sunlight from any angle.

Solar power handbags

Future of Solar

All images from http://webecoist.com/2008/11/23/solar-power-technology-design/

Solar Bra

Solar Bubble

Solar Power Rainbow Art

Solar power iphones

Lux LED Solar Power Necklace

Future of Solar

Solar Funnel - Concentrates Solar Energy 100 TimesMIT chemical engineers have developed a new way to collect solar energy 100 times more concentrated that traditional methods. Instead of having your whole roof be a photovoltaic cell you could have little spots that were tiny photovoltaic cells with

antennas that would drive photons into them.

The future of

Solar Power

is in your hands