The cost of a solar power system generally has to be expended up front and. To understand what this means, we need to start simply. Solar panels use the photovoltaic effect to generate electricity directly from sunlight. Students will examine atoms as the basic building blocks of matter, including electrons, protons, and. Various switch boxes are included for safety reasons, and. A solar hot water system, on the other hand, is technology which harnesses the suns energy to. This energy can be converted into other forms of energy, such as heat and electricity. Having built one by myself, i can easily see how this unlimited renewable energy source is quickly being adopted by cities worldwide. The promise of clean, cheap, and abundant electricity from the sun has been the dream of many scientists and businesses. Solar power basics a comprehensive beginners guide. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic systems, concentrated solar power and solar water heating to harness the energy. First there are panels, which collect the sunlight and turn it into electricity.
Agent training 29 may 20 solar power 101 the basics of solar energy. When solar electric generation is connected to metered wiring at your home or business, it is interconnected to the national power grid. Henceforth, the conductors that exhibit the property of resisting current flow are called resistors. Considering buying a solar energy system, but know nothing about the topic. It discusses the theoretical, practical and economic aspects of residential solar installations including. Materials such as plastic, rubber, glass, mica, and ceramic are good insulators an electric cable is one example of how conductors and insulators are used. Everything, from water and air to rocks, plants and animals, is made up of minute particles called atoms. How solar panels work introduction in this lesson, students will learn that sunlight is the underlying component of energy use. Solar energy solar electricity system basics system components a residential solar system consists of many different components working together to generate and supply electricity from sunlight. Basics of photovoltaic pv systems for gridtied applications. In chapter 20 we introduce different concepts related to solar thermal energy. To take advantages of solar energy, the variety of technologies is used to covert solar energy to heat and electricity. Florida solar energy center and pvusa as part of training programs for contractors.
Solarlectricity e is produced by changing sunlight to power using the photovoltaic pvffect. It discusses the types of solar electric system you can the future will be powered by renewables. You will be able to identify the key components needed in a basic photovoltaic solar panel system, such as is found on a house or building, and explain the function of each component. As the demand for solar electric systems grows, progressive builders are adding solar. Solar energy technology basics department of energy. Terminology of electricity electric circuits designing a small pv system sizing a system. Solar electric system design, operation and installation an overview for builders in the pacific northwest. Solar pumps, wind power, hydro power, and batteries in applications. The basic economics are electricity just like the rent vs. So selfconsumed solar energy is about 23x more valuable than exported solar electricity. Heat energy concentrated solar power csp electricity produced by steam.
Solar energy is abundantly available and has been utilized since long both as electricity and as a source of heat. A solar panel is a device designed to absorb the suns rays as a source of energy for generating heat or electricity. Most people picture a solar electric system as simply the. The basics of electricity kyocera solar electric products catalog june 2008 10 before purchasing a photovoltaic system, it is a good idea to have a basic understanding of electricity.
Chapter 17 solar energy pennsylvania state university. Solar basics intro to solar panels and solar energy. Olmedilla was built with conventional solar panels, which are made with silicon and tend to be heavy and expensive. Selfconsumed electricity saves about 30c per kwh as you dont have to buy that energy from the grid. As we transition away from finite and polluting fossil fuels, clean, reliable, and affordable renewable technologies such as solar electricity will become the mainstay of our energy supply. Socalled thinfilm solar panels, although less efficient per square meter, tend. In addition, solar photovoltaic panels do not require water for operation, critically important for sustainable communities around the world. Solar electricity basics in a straightforward and easy to understand introduction to solar electricity as an energy source for your house or business. Without batteries to store energy you would only have power when the sun was shining or the generator was running. Solar electricity basics solar electricity basics solar electric panels capture light from the sun and convert it to clean power. A practical guide to solar power system design for homeowners.
The suns heat can be used directly to heat water or air, or it can be concentrated to boil water, driving steam turbines that generate electricity. Intro to electricity nyu tandon school of engineering. This book explains the science of photovoltaics pv in a way that most people can understand using the curriculum which reflects the core modules of the nabcep entry level exam. He has installed solar electric and wind systems in missouri, and has lived on solar electricity since 1996. Any existing electrical system can be retrofitted to be powered by solar, and new construction allows a great opportunity to plan and include many options that solar can provide from the get go. Standalone pv systems are designed to operate independent of the electric utility grid, and are generally designed and sized to supply certain dc andor ac electrical loads. Solar electricity basics introduction knowing how to relate energy and power together is a very important concept, but it is also important to have a more. Thereis also a chapter on advanced types of silicon cells. Solar energy basics american geosciences institute.
The simplest systems power the small calculators we use every day. Powering your home or office with solar energy, 2nd edition. A beginners guide to solar power green living tips. These types of systems may be powered by a pv array only, or may use wind, an enginegenerator or utility power as an auxiliary power source in what is called a pvhybrid. Solar energy has amazing potential to power our daily lives thanks to constantlyimproving technologies. The readeris told why pv cells work, and how theyare made. The magnitude of resistance is dictated by electric properties of the material and material geometry. Solar power may seem like a complex subject, but everything in this book is brokendown into simple terms. You will learn to compare solar energy to other energy resources and explain how solar panels, or photovoltaics pv for short, convert sunlight to electricity. Today s solar technologies are more efficient and versatile than ever before, adding to the appeal of an already desirable energy source.
A green energy guide kindle edition by chiras, dan. Solar electricity basics provides a clear understanding of electricity and energy. Solar energy is tenuous, undependable, and expensive beyond practicality. Solar electricity basics pdf a green energy guide by dan chiras. It is better to use the solar power generated by your system than export it. After passing through the inverter, electricity becomes available to power all ac loads.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading solar electricity basics. The northwests highest solar potential is east of the cascades. Download free book solar photovoltaic basics first edition by sean white pdf. Basics of photovoltaic pv systems for gridtied applications pacific energy. Solar photovoltaic technology basics department of energy. San francisco, ca 94103 stockton, ca 95204 courtesy of doenrel. A green energy guide by dan chiras english 2010 isbn. Fundamentals of electricity the technical term electricity is the property of certain particles to possess a force field which is neither gravitational nor nuclear. More complicated systems will provide a large portion of the electricity in the near future. Solar electricity basics florida solar energy center.
Solar energy is abundant, in exhaustible, clean, and cheap. Solar pv technology is the technology by which light is converted into useable electricity. Over the past 40 years chiras has published articles on natural building, green building, solar electricity, passive solar design, selfsufficiency, and sustainability in publications such as solar today, home power, and mother earth news. Solar electricity basics introduction knowing how to relate energy and power together is a very important concept, but it is also important to have a more indepth understanding of electricity as well.
Learn more about solar energy basics the suns heat and light provide an abundant source of energy that can be harnessed in many ways. Then we will step through each of these topics in detail. Welcome to a beginners guide on solar power basics, where we will walk through a solar electric power system and how to build one solar panels, batteries, charge controllers, and inverters. Solar pv technologies basics the photovoltaic effect was first discovered in 1839 electricity first produced by a pv cell in 1880. The dc signals are fed into an inverter, which converts the dc into gridcompatible ac power which is what you use in your home. There are a variety of technologies that have been developed to take advantage of solar energy. Many of the topics that are discussed in this book are also covered in the massive open online course mooc on solar energy delftx, et. It discusses the types of solar electric system you can choose from, their components, solar site assessment, the installation of photovoltaic systems, and much more. Solar energy 315 diluted form, at a rate of about 220 wm2 see figure 31. Pv represents one of the most promising means of maintaining our energy intensive. The challenge of solar energy utilization is to concentrate it.
Solar energy is energy from the sun, which can be harnessed in several ways. Solar pool heating hot water for pools solar water heating swh or solar thermal hot water for domestic use dhw all courtesy of doenrel. Solar energy is the suns rays solar radiation that reach the earth. Simple familiarity with basic electrical terms and concepts will enable you to better understand your renewable energy system and use it with confidence. Silicon solar panels generate electricity without noise or emissions, and are comprised almost entirely of recyclable materials like silicon, silver, and aluminum. As we transition away from finite and polluting fossil fuels, clean, reliable, and affordable renewable technologies such as solar electricity will become the. Basic terminology solar electric uses solar panels or photovoltaic pv panels solar thermal. This article is the first in a series ill be publishing over the coming weeks to explain the basics of solar power how it works, the equipment, costs and benefits in terms of environmental impact. Alternative methods of solar energy are discussed in part v. Understanding solar inverters together, the inverter and pv array comprise the bigticket items of every solar power system. Solar pool heating hot water for pools solar water heating swh or. Solar home heating basics pdf new society publishers.
However, there are ambivalent views about solar, or photovoltaic, cells ability to supply a significant amount of energy relative to global needs. Solar basics solar electricity, also called photovoltaics pv, is a proven means of producing electricity from the sun. Once a curiosity, solar electric systems are becoming commonplace. Materials that allow few free electrons are called insulators. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Exported electricity earns a feed in tariff of about 720c per kwh. Solar electricity basics provides a clear understanding of the sun, solar energy, and solar electric systems. In a utility interactive aka gridtied system, any surplus energy not needed at that moment flows into the grid itself, something. Fundamental properties of solar cells, principles and. Solar energy is the ultimate source of energy, which is naturally replenished in a short period of time, for this reason it is called renewable energy or sustainable energy source. Commonly known as solar cells, individual pv cells are electricityproducing devices made of different semiconductor materials. Solar choice offers free and impartial advice and comparison services to our customers related to solar pv system installers, components, and incentives.
Electrons flow along a copper conductor to provide energy to an electric device such as a radio, lamp, or a motor. Solar intertie photovoltaic pv systems are not particularly complex. Solar electric system design, operation and installation. Solar electricity basics pdf new society publishers. Inverters batteries and controllers costs of solar electric systems financial incentives system installation and maintenance. In chapter 21, which is the last chapter of the regular text, we discuss solar fuels, which allow to store solar energy on the long term in the form of chemical energy. Although solar electricity producing devices have been around for over 50 years, solar electricity devices, often referred to as photovoltaics or pv, are still considered cutting edge technology. Better buildings series solar electric fact sheet author. Residential systems are found on rooftops across the united states, and businesses are also opting to install solar panels to offset their energy costs. In addition the book also covers other forms of solar energy, in particular solar thermal applications and solar fuels. The following are a list of common components of a residential solar photovoltaic system pv system. In addition, solar photovoltaic panels do not require water for operation, critically important for.
This behavior of materials is often used to controllimit electric current flow in circuits. The solar star pv power station produces 579 megawatts of electricity, while the topaz solar farm and desert sunlight solar farm each produce 550 megawatts. In other words, if one square meter were available for conversion of solar energy to electricity at 100% efficiency, the energy produced would be sufficient for just two or three light bulbs. But even west of the cascades, the oregons willamette valley receives as much solar energy annually as the u. This solar home in davis, california, uses energytiles made by bp solar. Solar electricity basics is an indispensable guide for homeowners, business owners, builders, and students for figuring out solar electricity quickly and easily.