5. Made up of
SOLAR CELLS/
Photovoltaic cells SILICON
array
energy
SOLAR PANEL/ PHOTON
Photovoltaic module (light particle)
• no rest energy
• purely kinetic
• no mass
Current
6. Current
convert
INVERTER Direct Current (DC) to
Alternating Current (AC)
7. There is another option
to generate energy
from sun!
(CONCENTRATED SOLAR POWER
PLANTS)
SOURCE: http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-tech/energy-production/solar-
energy-night1.htm
8. TYPES… how does it work?
• Parabolic Troughs
concentrate
Parabolic Mirrors
Heats – 300 degrees F
Focal Point
Transfer Fluid (Black Pipe)
Piped
Power Generator Steam/Electricity
SOURCE: http://solar.calfinder.com/ask/how-does-a
9. TYPES… how does it work?
• Power Tower
concentrate
Heliostats
700 degree C
Concentrated
Heat the air Solar energy
Captured
Boiler with Steam
Steam/Electricity
turbine
SOURCE: http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,5073142,00.html
10. TYPES… how does it work?
• Solar Pond
Pool of concentrate
Salinity Gradient
Saltwater Technology
Transparent
Insulator
85 Degrees
Up to
SAVE!!
Celsius
Extremely Hot
SOURCE: http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,5073142,00.html
11.
12. 1. Solar power is an exhaustible
supply.
2. It is not harmful to the
environment.
3. It will help you save a lot of
money.
4. It requires very little
maintenance.
21. CEPALCO 1 – MW Photovoltaic Power Plant
• Largest solar power plant in Southeast Asia
• Located in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis
Oriental
• Owned and operated by the Cagayan Electric
Power & Light Company, Inc.
• Started its operation on September 26, 2004
22. CEPALCO 1 – MW Photovoltaic Power Plant
• Generates 1.1 MW of power, is currently the
217th largest solar power plant in the world
• Has over a hundred thousand residential,
commercial and industrial customers within
its franchise area that covers the City of
Cagayan de Oro and the Municipalities of
Tagoloan, Villanueva and Jasaan, all in the
Province of Misamis Oriental
23. • It consists of 6,480 Sharp ND-Q7E6Z
photovoltaic modules and was designed to
provide up to 1,500 MWh of electricity
annually.
• Sharp of Japan manufactured the PV modules
while Sansha manufactured the inverters.
24. CEPALCO 1 – MW Photovoltaic Power Plant
• Solar electricity is really, really expensive. WHY?
>Installed costs close to 5.3 Million US Dollars
>uses 6,500 solar panels on 2 hectares of land
>partially funded by the Global Environment Facility
(GEF) facilitated by the World Bank through
the International Finance Corporation.
The GEF fund is a loan that turns into grant after five years of
successful operation of the PV plant by CEPALCO.
25. CEPALCO 1 – MW Photovoltaic Power
Plant
• Photovoltaic was proposed to CEPALCO to
demonstrate its effectiveness
• It reduces the need of CEPALCO to purchase
additional quantities of thermal-based power,
thereby reducing its emission of greenhouse
gases.
26.
27. Town of MarkHam, ONTARIO, Canada
It's thumbs up for solar power generation as Brian Bentz (left), President and CEO,
PowerStraeam and Frank Scarpitti, Mayor of the Town of Markham and Board Chair of
PowerStream, participate in a ceremonial connection of one of the largest rooftop solar
generation systems in York Region located on top of the Thornhill Community Centre in
Markham.
28. Europe's first solar powered Train Tunnel
The train ride from Paris to Amsterdam may not be
the most scenic of European railway routes, but it's
the only one capable of harnessing the awesome
power of the Sun -- for two miles, at least.
30. SolarWorld GT solar-
powered car
January 31, 2012
The SolarWorld GT solar-powered car is currently on a
drive around the world, and embarks on the U.S. leg
of its trip later this week.
Editor's Notes
PowerStream Solar is a division of PowerStream Inc., the second largest municipally-owned electricity distribution company in Ontario,providing service to more than 335,000 customers residing or owning a business in communities located immediately north of Toronto and in Central Ontario. The communities served include Alliston, Aurora, Barrie, Beeton, Bradford West Gwillimbury, Markham, Penetanguishene, Richmond Hill, Thornton, Tottenham and Vaughan. PowerStream is an incorporated entity, jointly owned by the City of Barrie, the City of Vaughan and the Town of Markham.
. Yesterday, engineers in Belgium officially switched on Europe's first solar-powered train tunnel, spanning a 2.1-mile stretch of the rail line connecting the City of Lights to Mokum. The installation's 16,000 solar panels will be used to provide 50 percent of the energy needed to power nearby Antwerp Central Station and to provide extra juice for both high-speed and traditional trains. Originally developed to help protect travelers from falling trees in an ancient forest, the project is expected to produce up to 3.3MWh 3,300 megawatts hours per year, while decreasing annual CO2 emissions by about 2,400 tons. Speed past the break for some aerial footage of the artery, along with a brief PR from Enfinity -- the Belgian renewable energy company that helped bring it to life.Update: According to the AFP, the tunnel will produce 3,300 megawatts hours per year.
In a boon for the local solar industry, a team of researchers from Swinburne University of Technology and Suntech Power Holdings have developed the world's most efficient broadband nanoplasmonic solar cells. In a paper published in Nano Letters, the researchers describe how they have manufactured thin film solar cells with an absolute efficiency of 8.1 per cent. The research was conducted under the auspices of the Victoria-Suntech Advanced Solar Facility (VSASF) at Swinburne, a $12M program jointly funded by the Victorian Government, Swinburne and Suntech. The group is working to dramatically increase the efficiency of thin film solar technology. According to Swinburne Professor Min Gu, Director of the VSASF, thin film cells have attracted enormous research interest as a cheap alternative to bulk crystalline silicon cells. However, the significantly reduced thickness of their silicon layer makes it more difficult for them to absorb sunlight. "Light trapping technology is of paramount importance to increase the performance of thin film solar cells and make them competitive with silicon cells," Professor Gu said. "One of the main potential applications of the technology will be to cover conventional glass, enabling buildings and skyscrapers to be powered entirely by sunlight." The VSASF group has been improving thin film cell efficiency by embedding gold and silver nanoparticles into the cells. This increases the wavelength range of the absorbed light, improving the conversion of photons into electrons. In their most efficient cells yet, the researchers went one step further, using what are known as nucleated or ‘bumpy' nanoparticles. Senior Research Fellow at Swinburne Dr BaohuaJia said: "The broadband plasmonic effect is an exciting discovery of the team. It is truly a collaborative outcome between Swinburne and Suntech over the last 12 months." Dr Jia believes that this new technology will have an important impact on the solar industry. "What we have found is that nanoparticles that have an uneven surface scatter light even further into a broadband wavelength range. This leads to greater absorption, and therefore improves the cell's overall efficiency. Professor Gu applauded the quick timeframe in which the research group has been able to achieve 8.1 per cent total efficiency, however he believes there is still considerable scope to improve the cells and transform the way the world sources energy. "We are on a rapid upwards trajectory with our research and development. With our current rate of progress we expect to achieve 10 per cent efficiency by mid 2012," he said. "We are well on track to reach the VSASF's target to develop solar cells that are twice as efficient and run at half the cost of those currently available." Professor Gu said that another advantage of the group's approach is that nanoparticle integration is inexpensive and easy to upscale and therefore can easily be transferred to the production line. "We have been using Suntech solar cells from the outset, so it should be very straightforward to integrate the technology into mass manufacturing. We expect these cells to be commercially available by 2017." Suntech CEO Dr Zhengrong Shi said: "Our team has achieved an impressive milestone with the world record for the most efficient broadband nanoplasmonic thin-film cell. This is an important step in demonstrating the potential of nanotechnology in leading the next generation of solar cells." The Nano Letters paper was authored by Dr Xi Chen, Dr BaohuaJia, Dr JhantuSaha, MrBoyuanCai, Dr Nicholas Stokes, and Professor Min Gu from Swinburne and Dr QiQiao, Dr Yongqian Wang and Dr Zhengrong Shi from Suntech.
Last October, the SolarWorld GT solar-powered car set out from Darwin, Australia on a drive around the world. It has since driven 3,001 kilometers (1,865 miles) across Australia, logged 1,947 km (1,210 miles) crossing New Zealand and been shipped across the Pacific Ocean. This Friday, it will embark on the U.S. leg of its journey, as it sets out across America from the University of California, Santa Barbara.The SolarWorld GT is the result of a collaboration between solar panel manufacturer SolarWorld, and Bochum University of Applied Sciences in Germany. The four-wheeled, two-door, two-seat car gathers solar energy through photovoltaic panels built into its roof, with its solar generator offering a peak performance of 823 watts. Custom hub motors are located in both of the front wheels.The vehicle manages an average speed of 50 km/h (31 mph), with a claimed top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph).In order to demonstrate that solar powered cars needn't be a radical departure from what consumers are used to, the street-legal GT's dimensions are similar to those of a conventional automobile. Unlike a regular car, however, it weighs in at just 260 kilograms (573 lbs) and has a low drag coefficient of 0.14. The vehicle was designed and built by a team of 30 Bochum students from the fields of mechatronics, computer science, and mechanical and electrical engineering.The SolarWorld GT will be making various stops throughout the southern U.S. between now and March 9, when it is scheduled to arrive in Florida. It will then be shipped across the Atlantic Ocean, to continue driving across Europe, Asia and Africa. It should hopefully arrive back at Darwin late this year. Assuming it does, it will set the Guinness Record for the longest distance covered by a solar car - approximately 34,000 kilometers, or 21,080 miles.
