Final Report

SOLAR WIND POWER

(AN ISO 9001: 2008CERTIFIED INSTITUTION)

VIDYA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THALAKKOTUKARA, THRISSUR

DEPARTMENT OF

ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING

SEMINAR REPORT – 2011

Submitted by,

SUDHIN P.K VEAIEEE059

(AN ISO 9001: 2008 CERTIFIED INSTITUTION)

VIDYA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, THALAKKOTTUKARA

Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the seminar report titled “SOLAR WIND POWER”

has been submitted by SUDHIN P.K of seventh semester Electrical &

Electronics Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

award of the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Electrical & Electronics

Engineering of the University of Calicut.

Dr. SUDHA BALAGOPALAN

Head of the Department,

Dept. Of Electrical Electronics Engg.

Thalakkottukara,

Date:

Vidya Academy of Science & Technology.

SOLAR WIND POWER SEMINAR REPORT ‘11

Department of EEE 1 VAST

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to place on record my heartfelt gratitude to all those who contributed to the

successful completion of my seminar. I express my sincere thanks to Dr P Prathapachandhran

Nair, Professor emeritus of Vidya Academy of Science and Technology. I am also thankful to

our beloved Principal, Dr S.P Subramanian for providing us a supportive environment and

necessary facilities for the successful completion of my seminar in time. I am forever thankful to

the Head of Department, Dr.Sudha Balagopalan for her valuable advice and support. I am

especially grateful to them for being our lanterns and guiding us through all the hardships we

faced during the seminar, for their unending support and encouragement.

I am greatly indebted to each and all of these individuals, for their enthusiastic and generous

efforts, which have made this, seminar a rich learning experience. Above all I render my

gratitude to the Almighty without whose blessings and benevolence I could not have completed

this successfully.



CONTENTS

ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………....................04

INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………...................05

1. SOLAR WIND POWER...................................................................................06

1.1 WHAT IS SOLAR WIND………………………………....................06

1.2 NEED FOR SOLAR WIND POWER……………………..................09

2. DYSON HARROP SATELITE.......................................................................11

2.1 THE CONCEPT: DYSON SPHERE……………………....................11

2.2 THE DYSON HARROP SATELLITE..……………………...............12

2.3THE DHS DESIGN........…………………………………....................14

3. WIRELESS POWER TRANSMISSION......................................................16

3.1 TRANSMISSION METHOD.............……………………..................16

3.2 WIRELESS POWER TRANSMISSON

THROUGH MICROWAVE.......……….......……………..................17

4. ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS......................................................20

4.1 ADVANTAGES..………………………………………….20

4.2 LIMITATIONS......……..……….…………………...........21

CONCLUSION.…………………….………………………………..............…...22

REFERENCE…………………………………………………………..................23



LIST OF FIGURES

Fig 1: Model of Dyson Harrop Satellite.................................................................................12

Fig 2: The Dyson-Harrop Satellite.........................................................................................14

Fig 3: Block diagram of a conceptual WPT system...............................................................17

Fig 4: Typical six cavity magnetron.......................................................................................18



ABSTRACT

Energy needs of our world are increasing day by day so as a young engineer it’s our

responsibility to find out new ways to harness the energy from the nature itself. All the

traditional renewable sources like wind, solar, tidal are not enough to meet the growing needs of

the modern generation. So a powerful renewable energy source is considered as the holy grail of

modern engineers and the solar wind power is the first step towards such a great dream. The

solar wind is a stream of charged particles that heads outward from the sun's upper atmosphere.

They move outward toward Earth and the rest of the planets, and provide the potential to power

the entire Earth. Even though we refer to the solar wind as "wind", it wouldn't provide energy in

the way we see wind turbines act here on earth. Instead, energy from the solar wind would be

collected by a gigantic sail deployed in space, between the sun and Earth. It involves a .4-inch-

wide copper wire pointed at the sun, and attached to a solar sail. The wire which can range in

length from 980 feet to more than half a mile would generate a magnetic field that would capture

electrons from the solar wind. The particles would be funneled into a spherical receiver, which

produces a current. A satellite with a 1,000-meter (3,280-foot) cable and a sail 8,400 kilometers

(5,220 miles) across, placed at roughly the same orbit, would generate one billion billion

gigawatts of power. That's approximately 100 billion times the power Earth currently uses.



INTRODUCTION

To meet its growing energy needs, energy generated from Sun, which is better known as

solar power and energy generated from wind called the wind power are being considered as

a means of generating power. Scientists have now combined solar power and wind power

to produce enormous energy called the solar wind power, which will satisfy all energy

requirements of human kind.

This is done by using dyson-harrop satellite which traps solar wind power by using long

metal wire loop pointed at the sun. This wire is charged to generate a cylindrical magnetic

field that snags the electrons that make up half the solar wind. These electrons get funnelled

into a metal spherical receiver to produce a current, which generates the wire's magnetic

field making the system self-sustaining. This energy is transmitted to the earth. A larger

model, with a kilometer-long copper wire, could generate upward of a billion billion

gigawatts. Such a massive satellite would require a 5,220-mile-wide sail, but its potential is

huge, actually 100 billion times the power humanity currently requires.



CHAPTER 1: SOLAR WIND POWER

1.1 WHAT IS SOLAR WIND?

The solar wind is a stream of charged particles ejected from the upper

atmosphere of the Sun. It mostly consists of electrons and protons with energies usually

between 10 and 100 keV. The stream of particles varies in temperature and speed over

time. These particles can escape the Sun's gravity because of their high kinetic energy and

the high temperature of the corona.

The solar wind creates the heliosphere, a vast bubble in the interstellar medium that

surrounds the solar system. Other phenomena include geomagnetic storms that can knock

out power grids on Earth, the aurorae (northern and southern lights), and the plasma tails of

comets that always point away from the Sun.

The outermost part of the Sun is a stream of particles that flows from the Sun into the

solar system. This part of the Sun, called the solar wind, is the corona expanding into space.

The solar wind extends all the way to the heliopause, far past the orbit of Pluto. The corona

is so hot that it cannot stand still. It is expanding outward in all directions, filling the solar

system with a ceaseless flow of electrons, ions, and magnetic fields.

While early models of the solar wind used primarily thermal energy to accelerate the

material, by the 1960s it was clear that thermal acceleration alone cannot account for the

high speed of solar wind. An additional unknown acceleration mechanism is required, and

likely relates to magnetic fields in the solar atmosphere.

The Sun's corona, or extended outer layer, is a region of plasma that is heated to over

a million degrees Celsius. As a result of thermal collisions, the particles within the inner

corona have a range and distribution of speeds described by a Maxwellian distribution. The

mean velocity of these particles is about 145 km/s, which is well below the solar escape

velocity of 618 km/s. However, a few of the particles achieve energies sufficient to reach

the terminal velocity of 400 km/s, which allows them to feed the solar wind. At the same



temperature, electrons, due to their much smaller mass, reach escape velocity and build up

an electric field that further accelerates ions - charged atoms - away from the Sun.

The total number of particles carried away from the Sun by the solar wind is about

1.3 × 1036

per second. Thus, the total mass loss each year is about (2–3) × 10−14

solar

masses, or 6.7 billion tons per hour. This is equivalent to losing a mass equal to the Earth

every 150 million years.[18]

However, only about 0.01% of the Sun's total mass has been

lost through the solar wind. Other stars have much stronger stellar winds that result in

significantly higher mass loss rates.

The solar wind has two components. The fast part of the wind pours out of the regions

near the poles of the Sun at speeds around 750 km/s (around 470 mi/s). The slower

component of the solar wind gusts unevenly from the Sun‟s equatorial regions at speeds

from 300 to 400 km/s (190 to 250 mi/s).

The slow solar wind appears to originate from a region around the Sun's equatorial belt

that is known as the "streamer belt". Coronal streamers extend outward from this region,

carrying plasma from the interior along closed magnetic loops. Observations of the Sun

between 1996 and 2001 showed that emission of the slow solar wind occurred between

latitudes of 30–35° around the equator during the solar minimum (the period of lowest solar

activity), then expanded toward the poles as the minimum waned. By the time of the solar

maximum, the poles were also emitting a slow solar wind.

Scientists believe that the fastest part of the solar wind leaves the Sun through coronal

holes, cool spots in the corona. The magnetic field of the Sun is relatively weak around

coronal holes and thus allows particles in the solar wind to escape. Heavier particles seem

to move more quickly than lighter particles in the same stream within coronal holes. The

intermittent gusts from nearer the equator come from solar flares and coronal mass

ejections.

Both components of the solar wind gain speed as they spread out and leave the Sun. The

fast component reaches its top speed close to the Sun, but the slow solar wind continues

gaining speed much farther out. As the solar wind approaches a planet that has a well-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_wind#cite_note-17



developed magnetic field (such as Earth, Jupiter and Saturn), the particles are deflected by

the Lorentz force. This region, known as the magnetosphere, causes the particles to travel

around the planet rather than bombarding the atmosphere or surface. The magnetosphere is

roughly shaped like a hemisphere on the side facing the Sun, then is drawn out in a long

wake on the opposite side. The boundary of this region is called the magnetopause, and

some of the particles are able to penetrate the magnetosphere through this region by partial

reconnection of the magnetic field lines.

Earth itself is largely protected from the solar wind by its magnetic field, which deflects

most of the charged particles; however some of the charged particles are trapped in the Van

Allen radiation belt. A smaller number of particles from the solar wind manage to travel, as

though on an electromagnetic energy transmission line, to the Earth's upper atmosphere and

ionosphere in the auroral zones. The only time the solar wind is observable on the Earth is

when it is strong enough to produce phenomena such as the aurora and geomagnetic

storms. Bright auroras strongly heat the ionosphere, causing its plasma to expand into the

magnetosphere, increasing the size of the plasma geosphere, and causing escape of

atmospheric matter into the solar wind. Geomagnetic storms result when the pressure of

plasmas contained inside the magnetosphere is sufficiently large to inflate and thereby

distort the geomagnetic field.

The solar wind is responsible for the overall shape of Earth's magnetosphere, and

fluctuations in its speed, density, direction, and entrained magnetic field strongly affect

Earth's local space environment. For example, the levels of ionizing radiation and radio

interference can vary by factors of hundreds to thousands; and the shape and location of the

magnetopause and bow shock wave upstream of it can change by several Earth radii,

exposing geosynchronous satellites to the direct solar wind. These phenomena are

collectively called space weather.



1.2 NEED FOR SOLAR WIND POWER

A major problem facing Planet Earth is provision of an adequate supply of clean energy.

It has been that we face "...three simultaneous challenges population growth, resource

consumption, and environmental degradation all converging particularly in the matter of

sustainable energy supply." It is widely agreed that our current energy practices will not

provide for all the world's peoples in an adequate way and still leave our Earth with a

livable environment. Hence, a major task for the new century will be to develop sustainable

and environmentally friendly sources of energy.

Increasing global energy demand is likely to continue for many decades. Renewable

energy is a compelling approach – both philosophically and in engineering terms. However,

many renewable energy sources are limited in their ability to affordably provide the base

load power required for global industrial development and prosperity, because of inherent

land and water requirements. The burning of fossil fuels resulted in an abrupt decrease in

their resource. It also led to the greenhouse effect and many other environmental problems.

Nuclear power seems to be an answer for global warming, but concerns about terrorist

attacks on Earth bound nuclear power plants have intensified environmentalist opposition

to nuclear power. Moreover, switching on to the natural fission reactor produces radiations.

Which are harmful for both human and for surrounding. The sun yields energy with no

waste products. But the energy produced will be very less and is not uniform throughout the

day.

It will be affected by the day & night effect and other factors such as clouds.

Hydroelectric and wind power depends on the geological features of the place. It is not

present everywhere. Both hydro and wind power consumes a large amount of land, which

can otherwise used for human settlement.

Considering the future needs for renewable resources. This requires a much cheaper way

to produce a large amount of power. A massive solar sail could supply the electricity needs

of the entire planet. The technology harvests the power in solar wind. This is done by using

a satellite known as Dyson-Harrop Satellite. This technology uses mostly of copper strips.

Copper is cheaper, this makes this technology much cheaper than any other renewable

resource. Using of copper strips makes the construction of the satellite much simple. Solar



wind power energy is collected and converted in to electricity which is then converted to a

highly directed microwave beam for transmission. This microwave beam, which can be

directed to any desired location on Earth surface, can be collected and then converted back

to electricity. Also the microwave energy, chosen for transmission, can pass unimpeded

through clouds and precipitations. Using of solar wind power is a clean, safe energy source,

alleviating some of the problems we would otherwise expect from increasing nuclear and

fossil fuel use. It can generate 1 billion billion gigawatts of power by using a massive

8,400-kilometer-wide solar sail at roughly the same orbit to harvest the power in solar

wind.



CHAPTER 2: DYSON HARROP SATELLITE

2.1 THE CONCEPT: DYSON SPHERE

The idea of Dyson Harrop satellite comes from the theoretical concept known as „Dyson

Sphere‟. A Dyson sphere is a hypothetical mega structure originally described by Freeman

Dyson. Such a "sphere" would be a system of orbiting solar power satellites meant to

completely encompass a star and capture most or all of its energy output. Dyson speculated

that such structures would be the logical consequence of the long-term survival and

escalating energy needs of a technological civilization, and proposed that searching for

evidence of the existence of such structures might lead to the detection of advanced

intelligent extraterrestrial life.

Since then, other variant designs involving building an artificial structure or series of

structures to encompass a star have been proposed in exploratory engineering or described

in science fiction under the name "Dyson sphere". These later proposals have not been

limited to solar power stations. Many involve habitation or industrial elements. Most

fictional depictions describe a solid shell of matter enclosing a star, which is considered the

least plausible variant of the idea.

Several Dyson variants such as Dyson Bubble, Dyson Swarm, and Dyson shell have

been proposed, though all share a common theme of solar power collection. The DHS,

however, draws energy from the solar wind‟s electrons, using the Sun‟s high energy

photons only to eject the electrons once their useful electronic energy has been collected.



2.2 THE DYSON-HARROP SATELLITE (DHS)

The concept for the so-called Dyson-Harrop satellite (fig 1) begins with a long metal

wire loop pointed at the sun. This wire is charged to generate a cylindrical magnetic field

that snags the electrons that make up half the solar wind. These electrons get funneled into

a metal spherical receiver to produce a current, which generates the wire's magnetic field -

making the system self-sustaining. Any current not needed for the magnetic field powers an

infrared laser trained on satellite dishes back on Earth, designed to collect the energy. Air is

transparent to infrared so Earth's atmosphere won't suck up energy from the beam before it

reaches the ground. Back on the satellite, the current has been drained of its electrical

energy by the laser - the electrons fall onto a ring-shaped sail, where incoming sunlight can

re-energize them enough to keep the satellite in orbit around the sun.

Fig 1: Model of Dyson Harrop Satellite

A relatively small Dyson-Harrop satellite using a 1-centimetre-wide copper wire 300

meters long, a receiver 2 meters wide and a sail 10 meters in diameter, sitting at roughly the

same distance from the sun as the Earth, could generate 1.7 megawatts of power - enough

for about 1000 family homes in the US. A satellite with the same-sized receiver at the same

distance from the sun but with a 1-kilometre-long wire and a sail 8400 kilometers wide

could generate roughly 1 billion billion gigawatts (1027 watts) of power, which is actually



100 billion times the power humanity currently requires. Since the satellites are made up

mostly of copper, they would be relatively easy to construct.



2.3 THE DHS DESIGN

Fig. 2: The Dyson-Harrop Satellite.

The Sun (A) emits plasma half-composed of electrons, half of protons and positive ions

(B). Electrons are diverted (via Lorentz force from a cylindrical magnetic field (C) from

their radial trajectory towards the „Receiver‟ (D), a metallic spherical shell. When the

Receiver is “full”, excess electrons are diverted through the hole in the Sail. The large

positive potential on the Sail drives an electron current through the „Pre-Wire‟ (E), which is

a long, folded wire designed to cancel out the magnetic fields of the current towards the

Sun. Once it reaches the end of the Pre-Wire, it travels down the „Main Wire‟ (F), creating

the magnetic field (C), which makes the field-current a self-sustaining system. The current

passes through a hole in the Receiver and then through the „Sail‟ (G), passing through the

„Inductor‟ (H), and the „Resistor‟ (I), which draws off all of the electrical power of the

Satellite to the „Laser‟ (J), which fires the electrical-turned-photonic energy off to a

designated target. Drained of its electrical energy, the current continues to “fall” to the Sail



(G). Here, electrons will stay until hit by appropriately-energetic photons from the Sun, at

which point they will leap off (K) from the Sail towards the Sun, and then be repelled by

the magnetic fields (C) and excess solar wind electrons (B) away from the Satellite,

imparting kinetic energy to the Satellite away from the Sun.

User-Defined Parameters: Because the Sun emits such a vast number of both electrons

and high frequency photons, the current through the DHS (and, therefore, the power it

produces) can be defined by the construction of the satellite; DH satellites can be produced

to collect any amount of power desired, up to the total energy of the Sun. This is primarily

determined by the capacitance of the Receiver, and rB, max, the maximal distance from the

Main Wire at which a solar wind electron can successfully be captured by the satellite via

its magnetic field.



CHAPTER 3: WIRELESS POWER TRANSMISSION

3.1 TRANSMISSION METHOD

Solar wind power from the satellite is sent to Earth using a microwave transmitter. This

power is transmitted to the relevant position via an antenna through space and atmosphere

and received on earth by an antenna called the rectenna. Recent developments suggest

using laser by using recently developed solid state lasers allow efficient transfer of power.

A range of 10% to 20% efficiency within a few years can be attained, but further

experimentation still required taking into consideration the possible hazards that it could

cause to the eyes. In comparison to laser transmission microwave transmission is more

developed, has high efficiency up to 85%, beams is far below the lethal levels of

concentration even for a prolonged exposure. The microwave transmission designed has the

power level well below the international safety standard (Frequency 2.45 GHz microwave

beam). So the Micro Wave Transmission is selected as the best method to transmit the

wireless power, in current scenario.



3.2 WIRELESS POWER TRANSMISSION THROUGH MICROWAVE

Transmission or distribution of 50 or 60 Hz electrical energy from the generation point to the

consumer end without any physical wire has yet to mature as a familiar and viable technology.

However, the reported works on terrestrial WPT have not revealed the design method and

technical information and also have not addressed the full-scale potential of WPT as compared

with the alternatives, such as a physical power distribution line. However the main thrust of

WPT has been on the concept of space-to-ground (extraterrestrial) transmission of energy using

microwave beam.

Fig 3 shows the block diagram of a conceptual WPT system

Fig 3: Block diagram of a conceptual WPT system

Electricity is generated in copper wire and this is supplied to an oscillator fed magnetron. Inside

the magnetron electrons are emitted from a central terminal called cathode. A positively charged

anode surrounding the cathode attracts the electrons. Instead of traveling in a straight line, the

electrons are forced to take a circular path by a high power permanent magnet. As they pass by

the resonating cavities of the magnetron, a continuous pulsating magnetic field i.e.,

electromagnetic radiation in microwave frequency range is generated. After the first round of

cavity-to-cavity trip by the electrons is completed the next one starts, and this process continues

as long as the magnetron remains energized. Fig.4 shows the formation of a re-entrant electron



beam in a typical six cavity magnetron. The output of the rectifier decides the magnetron anode

dc voltage. This in turn controls the radiation power output. The frequency of the radiation is

adjusted by varying the inductance or capacitance of the resonating cavities.

Fig 4: Typical six cavity magnetron

The microwave power output of the magnetron is channeled into an array of parabolic reflector

antennas for transmission to the receiving end antennas. To compensate for the large loss in free

space propagation and boost at the receiving end the signal strength as well as the conversion

efficiency, the antennas are connected in arrays. Moreover, arrayed installation of antennas will

necessitate a compact size.

A series parallel assembly of schottky diodes, having a low standing power rating but good RF

characteristics is used at the receiving end to rectify the received microwave power back into dc.

Inverter is used to invert the dc power into ac.



A simple radio control feedback system operating in FM band provides an appropriate control

signal to the magnetron for adjusting its output level with fluctuation in the consumers demand at

the receiving side. The feedback system would switch of the supply to the oscillator and

magnetron at the sending end if there is a total loss of load.

The overall efficiency of the WPT system can be improved by

schottky diode with higher ratings.



CHAPTER 4: ADVANTAGES & LIMITATIONS

4.1 ADVANTAGES

Mainly, modeling suggests that the DHS can provide power at a rate that increases

proportionally to the square of current through the Main Wire. A current of 0.444 A would

produce ~1.7 MW of power, while tripling the current produces about 10 times more

power.

1) It should be relatively cheap to construct, given that the system is composed almost

entirely of copper and doesn‟t require circuitry.

2) The entire energy generated from solar wind will not be able to reach the planet, yet

the amount that reaches earth is more than sufficient to fulfill the needs of entire human,

irrespective of the environment condition.

3) The kinetic energy from the photoelectrical ejection of electrons from the Sail

provides a strong stabilizing force; in fact, it may be possible to design a satellite that

can remain in a stationary position.

4) It can generate 1 billion billion gigawatts of power by using a massive 8,400-

kilometer-wide solar sail at roughly the same orbit to harvest the power in solar wind.

1000 homes can be lit by generating enough power for them with the help of 300 meters

(984 feet) of copper wire, which is attached to a two-meter-wide (6.6-foot-wide)

receiver and a 10-meter (32.8-foot) sail.



4.1 LIMITATIONS

The DHS generates power at a fairly low rate. Initially, its purpose may be better

suited to powering individual space projects (e.g., space stations, planetary bases) than

providing power for an entire civilization. The simplicity of the DHS could also be its

downfall - this model possesses no method of protecting itself from debris, actively

maintaining its position, or even starting the circular field-current system (which the

Inductor can help maintain). These issues can be accommodated by extra equipment on the

DHS, but it risks further difficulties as complexity of the satellite‟s construction. Another

problem may be heat dissipation.

1) Brooks Harrop, the co-author of the journal paper says that while scientists are keen

to tap solar wind to generate power, they also need to keep provisions for engineering

difficulties and these engineering difficulties will have to be solved before satellites to

tap solar wind power are deployed.

2) The distance between the satellite and earth will be so huge that as the laser beam

travels millions of miles, it makes even the tightest laser beam spread out and lose most

of the energy. To solve this problem, a more focused laser is needed.

3) We require big satellites to trap energy from solar wind. There may be practical

constraints in this.

4) For consumption as a lot of energy generated by the satellite has to be pumped back

to copper wire to create the electron-harvesting magnetic field.



CONCLUSION

In an international conference on renewable energy, our former president Dr A.P.J

Abdul Kalam said that, “By 2050, even if we use every available energy resource we have: clean

and dirty, conventional and alternative, solar, wind, geothermal, nuclear, coal, oil, and gas, the

world will fall short of the energy we need. There is an answer: a power source that produces no

carbon emissions … that can reach to most distant villages of the world, and can turn both

countries into net energy and technology exporters.” The solar wind power is the answer to that

search. It‟s a powerful energy source which can satisfy the energy needs of the whole world and

it‟s harnessing is the first step towards large scale renewable energy generation. Even

though tapping of solar wind power has many problems in the current scenario, we can hope that

ongoing researches will make it a promising energy source for the coming generation.



REFERENCE

Brooks L. Harrop and Dirk Schulze-Makuch, "The Solar Wind Power Satellite as an

alternative to a traditional Dyson Sphere and its implications for remote detection,"

International Journal of Astrobiology (2010). Page: 89-99

“Out-of-this-world proposal for solar wind power” New Scientist September 2010 by

Charles Choi. Page: 26-27

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyson_sphere

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_wind

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyson–Harrop_satellite

www.alternative-energy-news.info/solar-wind-power/

http://news.discovery.com/tech/solar-wind-energy-power.html

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