Solar Energy
Solar energy Harvesting is a one of the powerful sources of energy. It can be used to heat, cool, and light homes and businesses.
More energy from the sun falls on the earth in one hour than is used by everyone in the world in one year, in other words ,the amount of sunlight that strikes the earth’s surface in an hour and a half is enough to handle the entire world’s energy consumption for a full year.
A variety of technologies convert sunlight to usable energy for buildings. The most commonly used solar technologies for homes and businesses are solar photovoltaics for electricity, passive solar design for space heating and cooling, and solar water heating.
Solar technologies convert sunlight into electrical energy either through photovoltaic (PV) panels or through mirrors that concentrate solar radiation. This energy can be used to generate electricity or be stored in batteries or thermal storage.
Businesses and industry use solar technologies to diversify their energy sources, improve efficiency, and save money. Energy developers and utilities use solar photovoltaic and concentrating solar power technologies to produce electricity on a massive scale to power cities and small towns.
Solar Photovoltaic Technology
Solar cells, also called photovoltaic cells, convert sunlight into electricity.
Photovoltaics(PV)
You’re likely most familiar with PV, which is utilized in solar panels.
The process of converting light (photons) to electricity (voltage), is called the Photovoltaic effect. Photovoltaic (PV) technologies include Mono Crystalline Silicon panels, Poly Crystalline silicon panels, and Thin-Film panels. Depending on the solar potential, geographical location, and financial requirements of a specific solar PV project, a suitable PV system can be chosen to meet the project’s needs.
When the sun shines onto a solar panel, energy from the sunlight is absorbed by the PV cells in the panel. This energy creates electrical charges that move in response to an internal electrical field in the cell, causing electricity to flow.
Concentrated Solar Power
Concentrated solar power (CSP) systems use mirrors to focus a large area of sunlight onto a much smaller area. When the concentrated light is converted into heat, it drives a heat engine connected to an electrical power generator. CSP systems are considered a promising solar power technology for large-scale power generation.
When CSP is coupled with thermal energy storage (TES), it is capable of producing constant power (baseload) for up to 24 hours a day, making it well suited for integration with the electricity grid.
parabolic trough system, which concentrates sunlight onto oil-filled pipes.The oil is heated and this heat, in turn, produces steam, which drives a conventional steam turbine.
Other method is an array of reflectors, or heliostats, that reflect sunlight onto a central receiver, which stores heat as molten salt. which, in turn, generates steam, which drives a steam turbine.
Concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) systems use mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto receivers that collect solar energy and convert it to heat, which can then be used to produce electricity or stored for later use. It is used primarily in very large power plants.
Solar Modules Manufacturers
Suntech(Poly Crystalline Silicon Modules)
First Solar(Thin-Film Solar Modules)
Canadian Solar(polycrystalline solar PV modules)
Solar System Integration
Solar energy technology doesn’t end with electricity generation by PV or CSP systems. These solar energy systems must be integrated into homes, businesses, and existing electrical grids with varying mixtures of traditional and other renewable energy sources. Solar energy systems come in all shapes and sizes. Residential systems are found on rooftops, and businesses are also opting to install solar panels. Utilities, too, are building large solar power plants to provide energy to all customers connected to the grid.
Solar System Advantages
Solar energy can help to reduce the cost of electricity, contribute to a resilient electrical grid, create jobs and spur economic growth, generate back-up power for nighttime and outages when paired with storage, and operate at similar efficiency on both small and large scales.
Solar Energy Harvesting Projects and Initiatives
Solar Energy Harvesting Road in Shandong China
In late-2017, China opened its 1km solar highway in the Shandong province’s capital Jinan, south of Beijing. It spans 5,875 sq m and is capable of generating up to 1GWh every year
https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/features/china-solar-highway-energy/
Solar Energy Harvesting Bike Highway
South Korea’s solar bike highway is both incredible and exasperating. The road, which runs between Daejon and Sejong, is covered for its entire 20-mile-length with a roof of solar panels. Those panels not only generate lots of electricity but also shield cyclists from the sun.
https://www.fastcompany.com/3048661/this-south-korean-bike-highway-has-a-20-mile-solar-roof
Solar Farm in Singapore Tengeh Reservoir
The solar farm is composed of 122,000 solar panels spanning 45 hectares, which is roughly equivalent to the size of 45 football fields. The 60 megawatt-peak (MWp) solar photovoltaic (PV) farm is now officially one of the world’s largest operational inland floating solar PV systems.
https://www.sembcorp.com/en/media/media-releases/energy/2021/july/sembcorp-and-pub-officially-open-the-sembcorp-tengeh-floating-solar-farm/
Solar Energy Harvesting from Road
SolaRoad develops solar pavements to build roads that would harvest the energy from the sun, and convert it to electricity to power lighting, traffic systems, households and electric vehicles, transforming our road network into a huge source of renewable energy.
SolaRoad
Al Wadi Al Jadeed Solar Farm in Egypt
Three solar PV systems totaling 6 megawatts: one 5MW installation and two 500kW systems
http://enviromena.com/casestudies/al-wadi-al-jadeed-solar-farm-egypt-enviromena/
BAYNOUNA SOLAR Farm in Jordan
Baynouna Solar Energy Company PSC (“Project”) is our client, a company registered under the laws of Jordan. The Project is currently 100% owned by Masdar, a global renewable energy company established in 2006 by the government of Abu Dhabi, through its investment holding company Mubadala.
https://www.fmo.nl/project-detail/52334
Sweihan Photovoltaic Independent Power Project, Abu Dhabi
The Sweihan power project is a 1,177MW solar photovoltaic (PV) independent power project (IPP) in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
https://www.power-technology.com/projects/sweihan-photovoltaic-independent-power-project-abu-dhabi/
Africa’s ‘first fully solar-powered village’ wants to be a model for a renewable future Morroco
NOOR Midelt I and II Solar Power Plants
Vanuatu: Port Vila 767kW Solar PV South Pacific Islands
SENER, as part of its effort to reduce the price of the solar thermal technology, has designed a new, larger SENERtrough® collector model to improve the efficiency and to reduce the cost of the previous SENERtrough® collector model.
SENERtrough – The new development is based on the know-how achieved by SENER in over 20 thermosolar plants. In fact, a complete loop is fully in operation in the Valle 2 thermosolar field (Cádiz – Spain) since 2012. Additionally, Senertrough®-2 has also been installed in thermosolar plants NOORo II (Morocco) and Kathu (South Africa).
Solar Energy Harvesting Project for Solomon Islands
The project will install about 2 megawatt of solar power generation capacity, which will consist of ground mounted rows of solar panels within or near the townships of Kirakira, Lata, Malu’u, Munda, and Tulagi. The project is part of a broader program by Solomon Power to expand electricity access to rural communities through renewable energy-based grids.
https://www.adb.org/news/adb-approves-152-million-solar-project-solomon-islands
Gemasolar solar thermal power plant supplies power for 24 hours straight
Last week, the Gemasolar power plant near Seville, Spain, became the first commercial solar thermal power plant to supply uninterrupted power for a full 24 hours, according to builders Torresol Energy. In contrast to photovoltaic solar cells, which use the sun’s light to generate electricity, solar thermal plants use the sun’s heat to run steam turbines and generate electricity. One of the biggest advantages of using heat is that it can be stored more easily than light, allowing for electricity production to continue even after the sun sets.
Giant solar park in the desert jump starts Egypt’s renewables push
Near the southern Egyptian city of Aswan, a swathe of photovoltaic solar panels spreads over an area of desert so large it is clearly visible from space.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-solar-idUSKBN1YL1WS
The Republic of Palau consists of over 250 islands inhabited by a total population of 21,186 citizens, the majority located on four main islands including Peleliu and Anguar. The three projects in Palau consist of a 100kW PV / 150kW low-load diesel hybrid generation plant on Peleliu, a 100kW PV / 100kW diesel hybrid plant on Angaur which powers a water treatment facility capable of supplying 50 m3 of clean water per day, and 100 of 1.7kW solar home systems on the island of Koror provided through a subsidy loan program by the National Development Bank of Palau.
https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/institutional-document/671701/pacific-energy-update-2020.pdf
Red Sea Solar Power SAE
Red Sea Solar Power SAE is a special purpose vehicle incorporated in Egypt to develop, construct and operate a PV solar power plant. The sponsors are Scatec Solar ASA, Norfund from Norway and Africa 50, a multilateral investment platform. The Project is part of a portfolio of six 50MW each solar PV plants, to be developed by the same sponsors in the BenBan complex located in the Aswan province.
https://www.fmo.nl/project-detail/51501
Torresol Energy is a company dedicated to developing renewable energy and alternative energies, focusing on concentrated solar energy.
Torresol Energy is a company dedicated to developing renewable energy and alternative energies, focusing on concentrated solar energy.
The UAE’s Sweihan Photovoltaic IPP (hereinafter, “the Project”) development was named as the Project of the Year at the 2020 MEED Projects Awards. The world’s largest single-site solar project also bagged two other awards: Mega Project of the Year and Power Generation Project of the Year, out of which MEED, a major senior management media brand and publication in the Middle East, was celebrating the GCC’s best projects completed in 2018 and 2019.
Marubeni Corporation, having 20% ownership in the Project, together with JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd and Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA) commenced commercial operation of the 1,177MW solar power plant in April, 2019 through the Sweihan PV Power Company. All power generated from the Project is sold to the Emirates Water and Electricity Company under a 25-year power purchase agreement.
Performance analysis of 954,809 kWp PV array of Sheikh Zayed solar power plant
30 MW of clean energy and 7,000 solar home systems delivered by Masdar in Egypt
Top US Cities for Solar Energy
By Solar PV Installed per Capita:
- Honolulu
- San Diego
- San Jose
- Burlington
- Las Vegas
- Phoenix
- Indianapolis
- Riverside
- Denver
- Albuquerque
By Total Solar PV Installed:
- Los Angeles
- San Diego
- Phoenix
- Honolulu
- San Jose
- New York
- San Antonio
- Indianapolis
- Las Vegas
- Denver
California Solar Roof Initiatives
Solar electricity for rural households at the Fiji islands
A 6 MW solar plant and 5 MW/2.5 MWh storage system are set to increase the share of renewable electricity on the Pacific island of Nauru from 3% to 47%. The $27 million project is being supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Lisbon Solar City – Energy Cities – European association of cities in Energy Transition
Google Powers Chilean Operations With 100% Solar
Belgian site becomes first Google data center to add on-site solar
Powered by 152,880 FS Series 3 Black modules, the plant will generate approximately 24 million kilowatt hours of clean solar electricity per year. The project was implemented by Dubai’s Supreme Council of Energy and is managed and operated by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), the state-owned power company. First Solar was also selected to provide Operations and Maintenance (O&M) services.
https://www.firstsolar.com/en-Emea/Resources/Projects/Mohammed-Bin-Rashid-Al-Maktoum-Solar-Park
References
Basics of Solar Energy – National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Basics of Solar Energy – US Energy Information Administration