$E1ART3ENT O4 1LANN'NG AN$ NAT.RAL RESO.

R5ES

6'RG'N 'SLAN$S ENERGY O44'5E

70 ESTATE 3ARS 8'LL 4RE$ER'9STE$# 6'RG'N 'SLAN$S --+7TELE18ONE )7- ::);*-+< ST= > 4A= )7- ::<;--,) )7- ::7;))<- STT > 4A= )7- :*7;(0)*

!!!.vienergy.org

SOLAR ENERGY
INTRODUCTION: Solar energy is energy that comes from the sun. Every day the sun radiates an enormous amount of energy. The sun radiates more energy in one second than people have used since the eginning of time. All this energy comes from !ithin the sun itself. Li"e other stars# the sun is a ig gas all made up mostly of hydrogen and helium. The sun generates energy in its core in a process called nuclear fusion. $uring nuclear fusion# the sun%s e&tremely high pressure and hot temperature cause hydrogen atoms to come apart and their nuclei to fuse or com ine. Some matter is lost during nuclear fusion. The lost matter is emitted into space as radiant energy. 't ta"es millions of years for the energy in the sun%s core to ma"e its !ay to the solar surface# and then appro&imately eight minutes to travel the () million miles to earth. The solar energy travels to the earth at a speed of *+,#--- miles per second# the speed of light. Only a small portion of the energy radiated y the sun into space stri"es the earth# one part in t!o illion. Yet this amount of energy is enormous. Every day enough energy stri"es the .nited States to supply the nation%s energy needs for one and a half years/ A out *0 percent of the sun%s energy that hits the earth is reflected ac" into space. Another )- percent is used to evaporate !ater# !hich# lifted into the atmosphere# produces rainfall. 1lants# the land# and the oceans also a sor solar energy. The rest could e used to supply our needs. APPLICATIONS Photovoltaics: 1hotovoltaic are solar cells that produce electricity directly from sunlight. The solar cells are made of thin layers of material# usually silicon. The layers# after treatment !ith special compounds# have either too many or too fe! electrons. 2hen light stri"es a

sand!ich of the different layers# electrons start flo!ing and an electric current results. 1hotovoltaic are used throughout the nation and else!here to operate appliances# provide lighting# and to po!er navigation and communication aids. 1hotovoltaic panels provide po!er for e?uipment in space ships and satellites. 16 cells supply po!er needed to operate many "inds of consumer products such as calculators and !atches. 1hotovoltaic systems provide electricity to remote villages# residences# medical centers# and other isolated sites !here the cost of photovoltaic e?uipment is less than the e&pense of e&tending utility po!er lines or using diesel;generated electricity. Solar Thermal: Solar Thermal po!er is heat energy o tained y e&posing a collecting device to the rays of the sun. A solar thermal system ma"es use of the !armth a sor ed y the collector to heat !ater or another !or"ing fluid# or to ma"e steam. 8ot !ater is used in homes or commercial uildings and for industrial processes. Steam is used for process heat or for operating a tur ine generator to produce electricity or industrial po!er. There are several asic "inds of solar thermal po!er systems including @flat plateA solar !ater heatersB concentrating collectors# such as central to!er receiversB and para olic trough and dish collectors. Flat plate solar water heaters 2ater flo!s through tu es that are attached to a lac" metal a sor er plate. The plate is enclosed in an insulated o& !ith a transparent !indo! to let in sunlight. The heated !ater is transferred to a tan" !here it is availa le for home# commercial or institutional use. Central tower receivers 'n order to produce steam and electricity !ith solar thermal energy# central receivers have a

field of trac"ing mirrors called heliostats to focus sunlight onto a single receiver mounted on a to!er. 2ater or other heat transfer fluid in the to!er is heated and used directly or converted into steam for electricity. Parabolic ishes or tro!"hs curved panels !hich follo! the direction of the sun%s rays and focus the sunlight onto receivers. A li?uid inside the pipes at the receivers% focal point a sor s the thermal energy. The thermal energy received can e converted to electricity at each unit or transported to a central point for conversion to electricity. Solar Stills: Solar stills are systems designed to filter or purify !ater. The num er of systems designed to filter !ater have increased dramatically in recent years. As !ater supplies have increased in salinity# have een contaminated# or have e&perienced periods of contamination# people have lost trust in their drin"ing !ater supply. 2ater filtration systems can e as simple as a filter for taste and odor to comple& systems to remove impurities and to&ins. Solar !ater distillation is one of the simplest and most effective methods of purifying !ater. Solar !ater distillation replicates the !ay nature purifies !ater. The sunCs energy heats !ater to the point of evaporation. As the !ater evaporates# purified !ater vapor rises# condensing on the glass surface for collection. This process removes impurities such as salts and heavy metals# as !ell as destroying micro iological organisms. The end result is !ater cleaner than the purest rain!ater. Solar energy is allo!ed into the collector to heat the !ater. The !ater evaporates only to condense on the underside of the glass. 2hen !ater evaporates# only the !ater vapor rises# leaving contaminants ehind. The gentle slope of the glass directs the condensate to a collection trough# !hich in turn delivers the !ater to the collection ottle.

Solar Crop Dryers:

.sing the sun to dry crops and grain is one of the oldest and most !idely used applications of solar energy. The simplest# and least e&pensive techni?ue is to allo! crops to dry naturally in the field# or to spread grain and fruit out in the sun after harvesting. The disadvantage of these methods is that the crops and grain are su Dect to damage y irds# rodents# !ind# and rain# and contamination y !ind lo!n dust and dirt. 3ore sophisticated solar dryers protect grain and fruit# reduce losses# dry faster and more uniformly# and produce a etter ?uality product than open air methods. The asic components of a solar dryer are an enclosure or shed# screened drying trays or rac"s# and a solar collector. 'n hot# arid climates the collector may not even e necessary. The southern side of the enclosure itself can e glaEed to allo! sunlight to dry the material. The collector can e as simple as a glaEed o& !ith a dar" colored interior to a sor the solar energy that heats air. The air heated in the solar collector moves# either y natural convection or forced y a fan# up through the material eing dried. The siEe of the collector and rate of airflo! depends on the amount of material eing dried# the moisture content of the material# the humidity in the air# and the average amount of solar radiation availa le during the drying season. There are a relatively small num er of large solar crop dryers in the .nited States. This is ecause the cost of the solar collector can e high# and drying rates are not as controlla le as they are !ith natural gas or propane po!ered dryers. .sing the collector at other times of the year# such as for heating farm uildings# may ma"e a solar dryer more cost;effective. 't is possi le to ma"e small# very lo! cost dryers out of simple materials. These systems can e useful for drying vegeta les and fruit for home use.

AD#ANTA$%S AND DISAD#ANTA$%S OF SOLAR %N%R$& Advantages: Solar energy ma"es use of resource that is readily availa le. a rene!a le natural

Solar po!er used y itself creates no car on dio&ide or other to&ic emissions. .se of solar thermal po!er to heat !ater or generate electricity !ill help reduce the Territory%s complete dependence on fossil fuels. Solar !ater heaters are an esta lished technology# readily availa le on the commercial mar"et# and simple enough to uild# install and maintain y yourself. The production of electricity y the photovoltaic process is ?uiet and produces no to&ic fumes. 16 cells generate direct;current electricity that can e stored in atteries and used in a !ide range of voltages depending on the configuration of the attery an". Although most electric appliances operate on alternating current# an increasing num er of appliances using direct current are no! availa le. 2here these are not practical# 16;generated direct current can e changed into alternating current y use of devices called inverters.

Disadvantages:

Solar thermal systems are not cost;effective in areas that have long periods of cloudy !eather or short daylight hours. The arrays of collecting devices for large systems cover e&tensive land areas. Solar thermal systems only !or" !ith sunshine and do not operate at night or in inclement !eather. Storage of hot !ater for domestic or commercial use is simple# using insulated tan"s# ut storage of fluids at the higher temperatures needed for electrical generation# or storage of electricity itself# needs further technical development. 1hotovoltaic;produced electricity is presently more e&pensive than po!er supplied y utilities. Fatteries need periodic maintenance and replacement. 8igh voltage direct;current electricity can pose safety haEards to inade?uately trained home operators or utility personnel.

ADDITIONAL R%SOURC%S 1hotovoltaic 1rogramG www'eren' oe'"ov(pv( www'nrel'"ov(ncpv( Solar Thermal 1rogramG www'eren' oe'"ov(ste( www'eren' oe'"ov(csp www'san ia'"ov(Renewable)%ner"*(solarther+al(nstt,'ht+l American Solar Energy SocietyG www'ases'or"(solar