Solar Power

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Solar Power

• Presented by Nicole Cook, Kristen McGranaghan
  Derrick Ryzner

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Objectives
Overview of Solar Power Identification of
different types of Solar power Evidence
supporting the idea that solar power can produce
a significant portion of energy in the
future Can solar energy be enhanced in areas
where it is already established? Can solar
energy be implemented in areas of low sunlight or
high cloud coverage? Advantages and
disadvantages Social and Political Problems
Laws and regulations preventing the use of solar
energy Interesting Facts
http//www.blog.thesietch.org/wp-content/www.schot
tpictures.net.jpg
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Overview

• Solar energy energy from the sun usually in
  forms of heat and light
• Accounts for 99.9 of all available renewable
  energy
• Dates back to the ancient Greeks, Native
  Americans and Chinese who oriented their
  buildings toward the sun
• 
  -http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_energy
• It is used for many purposes such as heating,
  lighting, cooking, and producing electricity
• There are two main ways of collecting solar power
  to produce electricity photovoltaic cells and
  solar thermal collection

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Photovoltaic
Solar Thermal collection
Solar Tower
http//www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/solar.htm
http//www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org/images/Kra
merJctSolar.jpg

• http//www.valentin.de/logosbilder/pvsol_grid_bund
  estag.jpg

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• http//www.pv.unsw.edu.au/images/future-students/s
  olar-cell_p-n.jpg

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Evidence supporting that solar power can create a
significant portion of future energy needs

• Accounts for 99.9 of available renewable energy
• Used in a variety of ways photovoltaic, heating
  and lighting as well as indirectly via ocean
  currents and wind
• Many government grants provided for research
• There is much room to expand use of solar energy
  based on current use (2004)

http//www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2007/07/15/busin
ess/20070716_SOLAR_GRAPHIC1.html
http//home.iprimus.com.au/nielsens/Images/solpot.
JPG
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Can solar be enhanced in areas where it has
already been established?

• Yes!
• Addition of more solar panels or collecting
  systems - trough, dish/engine system, or power
  tower
• Technology is always evolving
• Demand has surged

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Can solar be established in areas of low sunlight
or high cloud coverage?

• Hybrid plants can be built
• Thought to be uneconomical because the plant
  would run off of fossil fuels more then sunlight

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http//www.ucsusa.org/assets/images/renewable_ener
gy/solarmap-big.jpg
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Advantages and Disadvantages

• No pollution
• Little maintenance
• Economical in long-run
• Free
• Inexhaustible
• Silent and less invasive than other sources

• High capital cost
• Energy cannot be created at night
• Difficult to transport
• Storage
• Maintenance cost
• 40K system costs 400 to maintain

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Social and Political Problems

• Very expensive initially
• Solar panels are made of fragile materials
• Every photovoltaic panel has only about a 40
  efficiency
• Not able to be used all of the time
• Decrease in market

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Laws and Regulations preventing use of Solar
Energy

• Congress hasnt been able to pass an energy bill
  but has large tax cuts geared toward oil
  companies (not toward renewable sources!)
• Hydrogen used 35 to 40 million of the energy
  budget this past year but no changes were made to
  it

http//dir.salon.com/story/tech/feature/2004/10/25
/renewable_technology/index.html
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Interesting Facts

• Just the tiny fraction of the Sun's energy that
  hits the Earth (around a hundredth of a millionth
  of a percent) is enough to meet all our power
  needs many times over. http//www.darvill.clara.n
  et/altenerg/solar.htm
• In the 1890s several homes were equipped with
  solar powered water heaters
• Fossil fuels can actually be considered ancient
  solar energy
• http//www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapt
  er15.html
• Demand increases by about 20 a year
  -Peter Aschenbreneer, vice president of sales and
  marketing for SunPower

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Conclusion

• We believe solar will be a large aspect of future
  energy sources
• Solar is capable of producing our energy needs
  several times over
• Advantages outweigh minor disadvantages
• Almost all energy sources stem from sun,
  therefore cutting out intermediates will increase
  efficiency of energy consumption

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Resources

• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_energy
• http//www.ises.org/ises.nsf21Open
• http//www.seia.org/
• http//www.nrel.gov/learning/re_solar.html
• http//www.solarenergy.com/ws400CS.cgi?categoryin
  fo_solar_fact_sheet.htmlcart_id
• http//dir.salon.com/story/tech/feature/2004/10/25
  /renewable_technology
• http//www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/sol
  ar_energy/
• http//www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter15.html
  
• http//www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/solar.htm
• http//www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/renewable_energ
  y_basics/how-solar-energy-works.html
• http//www.nytimes.com/2007/07/16/business/16solar
  .html?_r1hporefslogin
• http//www.seriouslysolar.com/advantages.php
• http//eeru.open.ac.uk/greenenergy/solar_power.htm