The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 1

Solar Energy

Radiant Energy

The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 2

Average Daily Solar Insolation Per Month

The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 3

The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 4

• Drying Agricultural Products• Heating Water• Space Heating• Generating Electrical Energy

The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 5

Major Uses of Solar Energy

Solar Technologies

The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 6

oDaylightingo Passive Solar

HeatingoActive Solar

HeatingoConcentrating

Solar Thermalo Photovoltaics

(PV)

The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 7

Passive Solar

Daylighting

The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 8

9

Active Solar Heating

Flat Plate Collector

Evacuated Tube Collector

Concentrating Solar Power

The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 10

Power Tower

The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 11

How a Power Tower Works

The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 12

The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 13

Photovoltaics

The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 14

PV Cell

The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 15

PV Array Component

s

oPV CellsoModulesoArrays

The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 16

True or True or False?False?

Today’s PV Cells are less Today’s PV Cells are less than 20% efficient at than 20% efficient at

converting radiant energy converting radiant energy to Electrical energyto Electrical energy

It’s True!It’s True!

Conversion Efficiency

The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 20

PV System Components

The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 21

Residential PV Installation

The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 22

The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 23

Source: Solarbuzz, a part of The NPD Group

Advantages and Disadvantages

The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 25

oCleanoSustainableoFreeoProvide Electricity to Remote Places

The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 26

Advantages of Solar Energy

Disadvantages of Solar Energy

oInefficient and costly equipment

oPart TimeoReliability Depends On

LocationoEnvironmental Impact of PV

Cell ProductionThe NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 27

The NEED Project: 30 Years of Energy Education 28