Solar Power

1. Solar Power

2. Before the bell rings get out your notes and begin answering the following based on your row… • Row 1- (closest to the front!)- What are the three types of fossil fuels, and which do you believe is the “best”? • Row 2- What is wind energy? How is it harnessed? What are the advantages and disadvantages? • Row 3- What is hydroelectric energy? How is it harnessed? What are the advantages and disadvantages? • Row 4- What is the difference between wave and tidal energy? How are they harnessed? What are the advantages and disadvantages? • Row 5- What is biomass? What are the advantages and disadvantages? • Row 6 (if there is one)- What is geothermal energy? How is it harnessed? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

3. Solar Heating Systems • Passive system • Uses an architectural design which enhances the absorption of solar energy without mechanical power • Is used to reduce heating costs but must have a backup system. • Uses roof overhangs to shade windows in the summer, and in winter allows sunlight to penetrate into a room. • Uses building materials that absorb heat energy

5. Look at the overhanging roof

9. Solar Heating Systems • Active system • Requires mechanical energy through pumps and fans to move air or water carrying heat to areas where heat is stored. • Energy is collected in a flat plate collector • They have been used in to heat homes but also solar water heaters, solar pool heaters, and space heating systems.

10. Why do we need this boiler?

15. Photovoltaic Cells • A device made of silicon cells which changes sunlight directly to electricity through the release of electrons. • Many uses (calculators, wristwatches, appliances, satellites, space shuttles, and some road signs.) • Expanding globally and very important in Japan • Have been used on the roof tops of buildings

21. Solar Thermal Technology • Uses mirror-lined dishes or panels that rotate with the sun and collect solar energy • CSP- Concentrating solar power • Converts the sun’s energy into heat which is then used to generate electricity. • There are three types of CSP technologies: trough, dish/engine, power tower

22. Parabolic Trough • Power plants use a curved trough which reflects the direct solar radiation onto a receiver (also called absorber or collector) running along the trough, above the reflectors

23. Dish Design • A dish system uses a large, reflective, parabolic dish (similar in shape to satellite television dish). • It focuses all the sunlight that strikes the dish up onto to a single point above the dish, where a receiver captures the heat and transforms it into a useful form.

24. Power Tower • Use an array of flat, moveable mirrors (called heliostats) to focus the sun's rays upon a collector tower (the receiver). • This tower has a steam turbine to create electricity.

27. Solar lighting • Parabolic collectors focus sunlight into a fiber optic system to illuminate buildings

28. Fiber Optic Lighting

29. Impacts of solar Energy • No air pollution • Inexhaustible supply • Lack of consistent sunlight in most areas • Requires large areas to produce a lot of energy • Still too expensive to compete with fossil fuels in most cases • Cannot be stored