ELECTRICITY GENERATION
Solar
Photovoltaics (PV), also called solar cells, are electronic devices that convert sunlight directly into electricity. The modern solar cell is likely an image most people would recognise – they are in the panels installed on houses and in calculators. Today, PV is one of the fastest-growing renewable energy technologies, and is already playing major role in global electricity generation mix.
Solar PV Panels installations can be combined to provide electricity on a commercial scale, or arranged in smaller configurations for mini-grids or personal use. Using solar PV to power mini-grids is an excellent way to bring electricity access to people who do not live near power transmission lines, particularly in developing countries with excellent solar energy resources.
ONGRID Solar :
On-grid solar power systems generate power using a solar power system and are directly connected to the utility power grid. These systems send excess power generated by the solar power system to the utility grid and consumers get compensated for the extra power fed back. These systems work in collaboration with the power grid. In the case when there is not enough sunlight to meet your business’ needs, the system runs on the power supplied by the grid. These systems are best suitable when your power consumption is high and you wish to reduce your electricity bills. On-grid systems can be installed with or without net metering. Being connected to the main grid, these systems do not work during power outages.
OFFGRID Solar :
Off-grid systems work independently of the grid but have batteries which can store the solar power generated by the system. The system usually consists of solar panels, battery, charge controller, grid box, inverter, mounting structure and balance of systems. The panels store enough sunlight during the day and use the excess power generated in the night.
These systems are self-sustaining and can provide power for critical loads in areas where a power grid is not available. However, these systems require specialized equipment to function and can be costly to install. These are ideal for businesses which can sustain for a short period of time with no electricity.
A solar hot water heater is generally installed on the roof.
It consists of coil.
A solar hot water heater is generally installed on the roof. It consists of collectors facing the sun to absorb solar radiations. As initial part of the process, the cold water enters the vacuum collector tube. Here, it gets heated by the solar energy absorbed by the collector. As the temperature increases, water begins to rise up. Now it enters an insulated tank that can store hot water for long durations. Due to the insulation, heat loss is prevented and water remains hot even when it used much later. And that’s how a collector based solar water heater operates!
Flat Plate Collector:
A solar water heater is a unique category of geysers that utilizes sun rays to function. These are widely preferred for their low cost of operation and eco-friendly nature. As solar water heaters barely consume electricity, they enable huge amount of savings.
Evacuated Tube Collector:
Evacuated tube collectors employ glass tubes to absorb solar radiations. The core ideology behind this solar hot water system is that vacuum is an effective insulator. A tube called 3T has multiple layers and vacuum is trapped in between them.
Solar street lights are raised light sources that are powered by the photovoltaic panels and are either integrated into the pole or mounted on the lighting structure. These photovoltaic panels charge the battery that powers the LED lamps at night. The battery-based solar street light is generally a standalone system which stores energy from the solar panels. The street lights come fitted with dusk to dawn sensors which make the lights turn on automatically in the evening and turn off in the morning while taking in the charge during daytime.
1. Automatic dusk to dawn operations:
With solar street lights, there is no issue of changing the settings for the different weather conditions as it turns on and off automatically. It even turns on when the natural lights dim out to certain levels during the day for cloudy weather conditions.2. Cable-free operation
Any standard street light requires wiring to be done all around it. But the solar panel street lights are free from any wiring clutter. These differ from the traditional street lights in the fact that here the whole body of the product including the battery are concise and concealed inside with no requirement for additional wiring on the outside.3. The variability of working hours
The working hours of solar street lights are not fixed, and these vary depending on several factors like season, present weather conditions, geographical locations, and the availability of light for a given period of time. The lights might dim out when it does not receive much sunlight for prolonged periods on rainy, cloudy, and wintery days.4. High transmission of lights
The solar street lights are fitted with optical grade materials that ensure very high average light transmission. The ideal color mixing results in the highest possible efficiency and large area coverage than the traditional electric lights.Benefits of solar street lights:
- Environment-friendly: With the all in one solar street light, there is always the guarantee of around eighty percent lumen maintenance even after 50,000 hours of service. It has several environmental advantages like no mercury in the structure and longer component life which combine to produce less waste than traditional lights.
- Energy-efficient: The energy savings from the solar street lights are one of the biggest advantages. The energy saved from the solar lights is generally around 40-60% more when compared to the traditional high-intensity discharge products.
- Thermal efficiency: When it comes to an integrated solar street light, the thermal management is the key to make it last longer. Each of the light bars is mounted to the heat sinks that makes the LED units are kept at an optimal temperature.
- Less wastage of light: The solar street lights are fitted with direct refractors that minimize the undue loss of light leading to superior quality of performance. The light from the solar lamps reaches where it is directed, and there is no wastage of the light energy.
- Low greenhouse gas emission: The increase of greenhouse gases like carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide has led to the alarming situation of global warming. According to a recent study, the use of solar-powered street lights can eliminate the carbon emissions by 258 million metric tons if they are extensively used over the next twenty years.
Mechanical pumps have a lot of uses nowadays. They are common in pumping water from wells, aquarium filtering, pond filtering and aeration. When it comes to water pumps, the main use of this device is the exchange of fluids such as water.
Solar water pumps are a relatively new concept in mechanics. A solar water pump system is commonly seen in residential and commercial uses, as well as for irrigation of agricultural land. Through solar panels, the pump can eliminate the cost of energy and provide a more feasible option that uses energy from the sun (and not fuel-burning mechanisms) for pumping water.
In times when the entire world is switching to solar using the sun’s energy in water pumping systems can significantly help and accelerate the development of agriculture in india and many other poor remote areas. This concept is known as solar-powered irrigation and is used in many regions nowadays.
The truth is, solar energy might be the easiest way for farmers to produce energy, especially for those living off the electricity grids with poor infrastructure around their homes. Therefore, the use of solar water pumps in agriculture is becoming increasingly popular. The concept of solar irrigation represents a virtuous circle—when the sun shines, it feeds the irrigation system and feeds the crops which are dependant on water in sunny weather. Therefore, a large quantity of energy is being released right at the time when it is needed the most.
Solar irrigation is a concept that works through solar water pumps. Below, we are describing them in detail.
As we know, solar pumps present a clean, simple and energy-efficient alternative to traditional electric and fuel-driven pump sets. They are part of an environmentally friendly approach in agriculture and can be used to exploit every region, whether its developed or poor.
Due to their immense potential for productive use and agricultural productivity, solar water pumps are now powering more and more agriculture projects. Knowing that 40% of the global population relies on agriculture as its main source of income, access to water remains an ongoing struggle for many people. This is what solar aims to change and introduce a cost-effective future for around 500 million small-scale farmers all around the world.
The main components in a solar pumping system include a photovoltaic (PV) array, an electric motor and a pump. Solar water pumping systems, on the other hand, are classified as either direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC) systems based on their motor’s ability. Recently, the concept of brushless DC (BLDC) motors for solar pumping water applications was presented as well.