INTRODUCTION TO

SOLAR ENERGY

An overview
of
the
technologies
and
applications
1
Chandrayaan-1, India's
first unmanned lunar
probe, launched by ISRO
in 22 October 2008. The
spacecraft was orbiting
around the Moon for
chemical, mineralogical
and photo-geologic
mapping of the Moon.

SOLAR PANELS

2
The images show a very young lunar crater on
the side of the moon that faces away from
Earth. The distribution of water-rich minerals
(light blue) is shown around a small crater.
Chandrayaan-1 discovered large caves below
the lunar surface - caves that could act as
shelters for humans.

3
 Dramatic as this was, it was just
one use of solar energy.

To many of us, exciting projects like

this are what solar energy is all about.

But there really is much more to solar

energy technologies, how they are
being used, and how they impact our
lives today. This presentation will
introduce you to the exciting real life
applications of solar energy.
4
LET’S BEGIN OUR OVERVIEW OF
SOLAR ENERGY BY ASKING:
WHAT DO YOU SEE HERE?
Take a close look – is this
the glass, or two faces?

They’re both here, but

for a variety of reasons
that make up your own
individual psychological
make-up, some of you
see the faces, some the
other.

5
When people think of solar
energy, the same thing often
happens. Some see it as
something for the future,
others see it as something
that is here today.
6
IF YOU THINK SOLAR ENERGY IS
SOMETHING TO BE USED IN THE
FUTURE . . .
you may be picturing
something like this
solar array used by
the space shuttle to
provide for power
needs in outer space.
There are people
who think that solar
energy is something
not quite down-to-
earth and not ready
to use today.
7
HOWEVER, THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE
WHO THINK OF SOLAR ENERGY AS
SOMETHING THAT’S BEEN AROUND FOR A
LONG TIME.

Solar concentrator
using tracking

Solar motor to
irrigate 120h with
6.400 liter of
water / minute.
The output was
equivalent to 5 kW
8
For hundreds of years, people have wanted
to harness the sun’s power for weapons,
heating, and many other uses to make their
lives more comfortable.
Archimedes: father of
Concentrated Solar Power,
during the Battle of
Syracuse (Italy, 213 - 221
B.C.) angle hexagonal
mirrors were used to
destroy the Roman fleet.
Lavoisier developped the
first sun oven: he
concentrated sun power
with liquid lenses and 9
reached 1800° Celcius.
 Solar
cooling

Large rocks squeezed into together by 'wood

shelves' insulate the South face of the house.
The rocks absorb the heat during the day
lowering the solar gain. At night the rocks give
heat back into into the air as the temperature 10
outside drops. The rock wall and the desert
climate work in concert to passively cool the
 -- FOR THE FUTURE OR FOR
TODAY –
IS CORRECT?

Probably a little of all.

Solar energy will certainly play an

important role in the future energy
needs of our planet, but it’s also here
today and ready for hundreds of uses
in homes, businesses, and industry.

11
THE SUN IS AN INEXHAUSTIBLE
POWER SUPPLY. IT BRINGS
ENOUGH ENERGY TO OUR PLANET
EVERY SINGLE DAY TO MEET A FULL
YEAR’S WORTH OF ENERGY FOR
EVERYONE ON EARTH.

12
THE BATTERIES IN THIS SOLAR-POWERED LIGHT
IN A REMOTE PART OF ORISSA, ARE CHARGED
BY THE SUN DURING THE DAY TO PROVIDE
POWER FOR STREET LIGHTING AT NIGHT.
985 Solar Home Lights and
55 Solar Street Lights at
village near Numaligarh,
Assam;

900 Solar Home Lights and

35 Solar Street Lights at
village near Angul, Orissa;

95 Solar Home Lights at

village near Dibrugarh, 13
Assam.
But to many people,
solar power today
means just reliable
calculators, watches
and other simple
home products like
this lantern, solar
cooker, dryer

14
They don’t realize that millions
of people around the world
use solar energy because it is
the only available, reliable
power source for many of
their basic needs such as
lighting and water pumping.

Solar
pumpin
g

15
Meanwhile, do-it-yourselfers
have long tried to build
their own solar systems to
take advantage of the free
power provided by the
sun . . .
16
A ROOFTOP LAUNDRY IN JERUSALEM

17
 A spiritual hermitage in Gujarat state, in the
northwest of India, has become the home of
the country’s first solar-powered crematorium.
At the ecologically conscious Muni Seva
Ashram, a 50 m2 Scheffler Dish will heat the
oven which burns the dead bodies.

Location
of
crematio
n

Sola
r
dish 18
 USING SOLAR ENERGY TO
PROVIDE HEAT
 Passive solar heating: absorbs and stores
Passive solar heating: absorbs and stores
heat
heat from
from the
the sun
sun directly
directly within
within the
the
structure
structure
Has
Hasbeen
beenused
usedfor
forthousands
thousandsof
ofyears.
years.
SOLAR PASSIVE
COOLING

Skyther
m roof
pond

Burnt bricks
and Terracota
pots

20
 Earth
shelterin Roof
garden
g
concept

Earth 21
cooled
tubes
 Energy - Classification

Renewable
Convention
al Solar
Thermal Wind
Nuclear Bio
Tidal
OTEC
Geothermal
Hydro
Conventional Energy Route

Renewable Energy Route

Solar Thermal /
energy Electrical
 Sectoral energy consumption

Others
(9%)
Commercial
(5%)

Industry
Domesti
(40%)
c
(21%)

Agri
(25%)
 Energy Demand

Nuclear(5% Renewable(4
) %)

Thermal
Hydro (70%)
(21%)
 Need
Conventional fuels are depleting @ faster rate

Demand and cost increase

After 30 years the availability of resources is

a?

Global warming due to green house gases

 Forms of Renewable Energy
Solar Energy

Wind Energy

Bio Energy

Tidal Energy

Geothermal Energy

Hydro Energy
 Solar Energy
Thermal Energy
 Solar Collectors
 Flat plate collector
 Parabolic Collector
 Power Tower
 Solar Distillation
 Solar Dryer
 Solar Cooker
 Box type cooker
 Dish type cooker
Electrical Energy
 Solar photovoltaic panel
 Why solar to thermal ?

Energy conversion and Efficiency

SOLAR THERMAL
70 %

SOLAR Electrical
17
%
Potential – 140 million square metre
area
SELECTED PROJECTS AT NITT

30
Case 1 Design And
Development of A Modified
Solar water Heating
System
Installed capacity

32
 present problem of FPC

Poor convective heat transfer

Accumulation of Thermal energy

Increases the overall losses

Overall Thermal performance reduced

 Solution for the Problem

Twisted tape inserts in riser tubes (Helical

and Left-Right)

Creates swirl effect

Fluid flow in tangential direction

Formation of thin film layer near the tube

wall restricted
Particles mixing effect more

Increases the hydraulic length

Twist tapes act as Fin

Combined heat enhancement (conduction+convection)

Minimizes the Accumulation of Thermal energy

Lead to decrease the overall losses

Increase the overall Thermal performance

Experimental Setup (Natural
circulation)
Plain tube collector

1.Water inlet to collector

2.Absorber Plate Temperature
3.Absorber plate
4.Upper Header
5. flow meter
6.Glass wool supported by aluminium
frame
7.Riser Tube Temperature
8.Wooden sides
9.Riser Tube
10.Lower Header
∆- Taps for measuring pressure drop
O- Taps for measuring water inlet and
outlet temperature
Twisted tape collector
 Forced circulation

Water Outlet
Upper Header
Insulation
Temperature Measurement
Absorber Plate Riser Tube Temperature
Temperature
Absorber Plate Wooden Sides
Riser Tube
A
A
Water Inlet Pressure Drop Measurement
Flow Meter Lower Header
Helical twisted tape (twist ratio 3,4,5
and 6)
Left-Right twisted tape (twist ratio 3,4,5
and 6)
 Data reduction technique
Internal convective heat transfer (hi)

Q mc p (Tout  Tin ) U 0 A0 (Two  Tm ) (1)

1 1 ln D0 Di 
  (2)
U 0 A0  hi Ai  2k w L 

Experimental Nusselt
number
hi Di (3)
Nu 
k
Experimental Friction factor
P
f  (4)
 L   u m2 
   

 Di   2 

Instantaneous efficiency
of collector
Ti  Ta 
  FR    FRU L (5)
Ht
 Plain tube data verification
Laminar flow (Sieder-Tate)
1/ 3 0.14
 D   
Nu 1.86 Repr     (5)
 L  w 

Friction factor-fanning
equation

Turbulent flow (Dittus Boelter)

Nu 0.023 Re 0.8 Pr 0.4 (6)

Friction factor-Blasius
equation
 Concluding remarks
Compared to plain tube collector, twisted tape collectors
enhances the heat transfer
 Compared to helical twists, Left-Right twists improves
the performance
 Among various Left-Right twist ratios, the minimum
twist ratio 3 has a greater impact on heat transfer
Natural circulation
Plain LR 3 LR 4 LR 5 LR 6 He 3 He 4 He 5 He 6

Nusselt 1 3.75 3.65 3.5 3.3 2.7 2.45 2.3 2.1

Friction 1 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.35 2.4 2.3 2.2 2.1

Thermal 1 1.41 1.37 1.32 1.26 1.27 1.23 1.17 1.12

 Forced circulation

Plain LR 3 LR 4 LR 5 LR 6 He 3 He 4 He 5 He 6

Nusselt 1 3.0 2.9 2.75 2.6 2.1 1.9 1.75 1.6

Friction 1 4.8 4.4 3.9 3.7 3.3 3.0 2.7 2.4

Thermal 1 1.37 1.34 1.29 1.21 1.2 1.17 1.13 1.1

 Future Scope of the work
 Introducing spacer in the twisted tape
 Twist ratio in increasing order connected in series
manner
 Left-Right twist with increasing lengths
 Analyze the performance for various working fluids
 Analyze the performance with loose fit

 Compare the performance with centre core-rod

 Possible research work
Reduce the over all losses
Increase the Number of glass plates
Vary the thickness of glass plate
Tilt angle
Effect of series and parallel connection
Vary the header size
Selective coatings
Introduce the heat pipe techniques
Effect of absorber plate material
(Copper,Aluminium,Plastic)
Study the heat loss effect in storage tank by material
&thickness
Phase change material
Natural circulation
Variable Header
Case 2 Performance of solar
cooker
Box Type Solar
cooker
 Energy
Calculations

MW = Mass of water

CW = Specific heat of water (approximately 4.186 J/kgC)

T = Difference in temperature between pot contents and

ambient

A = Aperture area

t = Time
Our Design
Dish type Solar cooker
Cooking Utensils with
Fins
 Possible research work
Box type
Increase the number of glasses
Vary the angle
Reduce the conduction losses by prober insulation
Vary the coating material
Introduce the fins in the cooking utensils
Study the shadow effect
Parabolic type
Transparent cover around cooking utensils
Change the reflecting material
Tracking mechanism
Design various cooking utensils
Case 3 Performance of solar
still
Solar Distillation
 Efficiency
Calculations

wh
 
H

w- weight of distillate water per Sq.m per Day

h - enthalpy change from cold water to vapour (594.5Kcal/Kg)

H – Solar Insolation
 Solar
Combined still + still
FPC
The comparative performance of a
solar still and a solar still-Flat plate
collector system has been studied.

It is observed that the combined

solar still-FPC daily efficiency was
20.4 % and 23.6 % more than still
alone fresh water and saline water
system respectively.

The productivity was 20.8 % and

24.1% more than still alone fresh
water and saline water system
respectively.

Solar
still+FPC
64
ISWD SYSTEM

65
1. Fresh water production increased from 12pm to 14pm
compared to 9 am to 12pm.
2. Performance of bare plate solar still
a. Hot water temperature – 47°C
b. Fresh water temperature – 35°C
c. Efficiency – 12%

3. Performance of black cloth wick solar still

a. Hot water temperature – 65°C
b. Fresh water temperature – 38°C
c. Efficiency – 20%

4. The performance trend of solar still with black cloth wick is

same as that of bare plate but the production of fresh water
increased with higher temperatures than bare plate.
66
Case 4 Performance of solar
dryer
Solar Dryer
 DRYER EFFICIENCY

E= Mw L/ It.Ac

Mw: evaporated moisture mass of the product, kg

L: specific latent heat of water vaporization, kJ/kg

It: solar radiation energy per collecting area, kJ/m2

AC: collector area, m2

Low cost Dryer
Our Design- Dryer with
stones
Solar Dryer- Finned
Type
 Hybrid solar Grapes
system before
drying

Grape after open solar

drying Grape after drying in
hybrid system

73
1. The amount of moisture removed per day is more
in greenhouse than in open condition.
2. The moisture removed in a cloudy day is more in
greenhouse type.
3. The drying rate is more in greenhouse than in
open condition.
4. The moisture content of grape in the solar dryer
was reduced from an initial value of 14.37% to a
final value of 73.66% within 5 days whereas the
moisture content of the sun-dried samples was
reduced from the same initial value to a final
value of 69.1% within the same period.
5. It has been observed that the rate of drying is
more in system with DC fan than the system
without DC fan
6. At the end of drying, the color of grape changed to
brownish and it is seen that the quality of grape in74
greenhouse is good since it is not affected by dust
 Possible research work

Change absorber material

Vary the tilt angle
Study the shadow effect
Increase the Number of glasses
Vary the flow rate of air
CASE 5: DESIGN, FABRICATION
AND PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF
PARABOLIC TROUGH COLLECTOR
FOR HEATING APPLICATIONS
OBJECTIVES

To design the Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC) with simple

in structure, cost and performance efficient.

To study the effect of orientation regarding efficiency for

the newly designed PTC.

To compare the experimental values (heat gain and

efficiency) with Theoretical values.
CALCULATIONS
EXPLANATION

 Beam radiation (Ib) was calculated by means of using

the relation which was generated using the data given
C-WET co-relating global radiation and beam radiation.
 Global radiation was measured by means of using the

pyranometer.
 By means of using the equation y=0.7272x -
82.46, beam radiation can be calculated and
used in calculations.

Where
Y=Beam radiation in W/m2
X=Global radiation in W/m2
CALCULATION OF THEORETICAL
EFFICIENCY
 CASE 6: PERFORMANCE INDICES OF GRID
CONNECTED PHOTOVOLTAIC PLANTS
 For the above study , global horizontal irradiation and
ambient temperature are employed for calculating the
reference yield and corrected reference yield of a
particular PV generating system under study.
 Reference yield of the PV system(h/d) = Global

horizontal Irradiation / (1KW/m2) .

 Corrected reference yield ,Y = Y [ 1-C (T -T )]
t r t c 0

 Where Tc is the cell temperature which is obtained

from the ambient temperature.
 The other data like direct normal irradiance & diffuse

normal irradiance are to be employed in future scope

for formulation of loss calculation of solar PV model
 The wind speed is to be employed for the calculation

of exergy loss of the system as it forms the part of

 CASE 7: EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ON
SOLAR THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE BY
DIRECT HEATING
OBJECTIVE
 One of the disadvantages of this solar
energy is the fact that is not available
all the time the need of heat storage
systems
 Heat storage using sensible heat

materials, latent heat materials (PCM)

 Different types of storage medium to

improve the effective heat storage

 Different contact pattern to enhanced

heat from storage mediums

THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE
MATERIALS
Sensible heat storage
 Sand
 Rock (Gravels)
Latent heat storage
 Na2S2O3.5H2O
 MgSo47H2O
 FeCl3.2H2O
SETUP MODEL

Schematic model Practical model

CONTAINERS
 Material: Aluminum
 Specification:4*10*20

 Weight: 65g,75g

 Block coated

 Capacity:1.2 k.g

 Specific heat

capacity: 910 (j/kg.K)

 Absorber plate

coated Sio2
CONTAINER ARRANGEMENTS

Air inlet

10
2.5
2.5

20 20 20 25
0 25
0 0
2 2 2 2
4 4
4
4
4 4

1010 10
10 10
0 0
10

20
ALL DIMENSIONS IN CENTIMETER

Air out let

CONTAINER ARRANGEMENTS
MEASURING
INSTRUMENTS
AIR BLOWER
1 m/s
2 m/s
3 m/s
4 m/s
5 m/s
EXPERIMENTAL SET UP
PROCEDURE
Time duration 9.00 to
19.00 (7p.m)
Different Air velocities
Different heat storage

materials
Two different storage

containers
SOLAR RADIATION
THERMAL ENERGY
STORAGE MATERIAL
 Material: Sand
 Quantity: 3 k.g

 Specific heat capacity:

830 (j/kg.K)
 Thermal

conductivity(k)
 Availability
SENSIBLE HEAT STORAGE
MEDIUM ROCK (GRAVELS)
 Material: Rock
 Quantity: 3 kg

 Specific heat capacity:

879 (J/kg.K)
 Thermal

conductivity(k)
 Availability
PHASE CHANGE MATERIAL
NA2S2O3.5H2O
 Material: Na2S2O3.5H2O
 Quantity: 0.3 kg
 Specific heat capacity: 1700

(J/kg K)
 Melting point 48.3 °C

 Boiling Point 100 °C

 Salt hydrate
PHASE CHANGE IN DIFFERENT
STAGES
PHASE CHANGE MATERIAL
MGSO47H2O
 Material: MgSO4 7H2O
 Quantity: 0.3 kg
 Specific heat capacity: 1840

(J/kg K)
 Melting point 48.8 °C

 Boiling point 330 °C

 Salt hydrate
PHASE CHANGE IN DIFFERENT
STAGES
PHASE CHANGE MATERIAL
FECL3 6H2O
 Material: FeCl3 6H2O
 Quantity: 0.3 kg
 Specific heat capacity: 1573

(J/kg.K)
 Melting point 37 °C

 Boiling point 280 °C

 Salt hydrate
DISCUSSIONS
S.no Medium Normal Baffle
containers containers
Sensible heat storage mediums
1 Sand 28% 31%
2 Rocks 32% 36%
(Gravels)
Latent heat storage mediums
3 Na2S2O3.5H2 35% 38.2%
O
4 MgSO4.7H2O 37.4% 41.3%

5 FeCl3.6H2O 34.5% 37.2%

Case 8 Performance of solar PV
panel
 Solar PV
underwater
system

1. Maximum efficiency on an average of about 21.6%

which is remarkable for a depth of 4 cm, the weather
conditions for which the experiment is performed.
2. The optimal flow rate is found out to be 30 ml/sec for
both maximum efficiency and maximum power
condition.
3. Cooling maintained the temperature to a certain limit
between 300C to 340C, when compared to dry panel
temperature of about 500C, thereby avoiding long
term degradation.
107
The nonrenewable sources we use today –
including coal, oil, kerosene, diesel, propane
and natural gas – are all limited in
availability, and are also partly to blame

108
NO MATTER WHAT THE FUTURE WILL BE LIKE,
ONE THING IS FOR CERTAIN: SOME TYPE OF
ENERGY WILL BE NEEDED TO POWER IT.

109
 What will that energy source
be?

The answer ought to be obvious.

110
It’s been up there all the time.
 WISH YOU A SOLAR FUTURE
Energy from the Sun. Energy for the long
run.

AFTER ALL IT IS VITAMIN D FOR YOU

111
 Questions & Discussion

112