Renewable Energy

MEP 481 Renewable Energy

3 Cr. hrs. = [ 2Lect + 2 Tut + 0 Lab]

No. Title Page

1 Solar energy (Solar radiation flux, solar angles estimation energy
and measurements of solar radiation fluxes ,solar energy systems)
2 Nuclear energy (Nuclear fuel, radiation activity and depletion,
nuclear reaction, nuclear reactors)
3 Biomass energy Conversion of biomass, energy generation from
agricultural wates and organic materials
4 Biogas,and systems of biogas generation
5 Wind energy (available power ,power factor, principles of wind
energy generation,
6 Wind energy curves of power and speed, site conditions,
7 Wind energy forces of lift and friction ,wind energy systems
8 ocean nergy
9 Geothermal energy
 ‫مكق ‪ 481‬طاقة متجددة‬

‫الطاقة الشمسية (شدة االشعاع الشمسى‪ ،‬زوايا الشمس‪ ،‬تقدير وقياس شدة‬
‫‪ -‬الطاقة النووية‬ ‫االشعاع الشمسى‪ ،‬انظمة توليد الطاقة باالشعاع الشمسى)‬
‫(الوقود النووى ‪ ،‬النشاط واالضمحالل االشعاعى ‪ ،‬التفاعل النووى‪ ،‬المفاعالت‬
‫النووية) ‪ -‬طاقة الكتلة الحية (تحويل الكتلة الحية الى طاقة‪ ،‬توليد الطاقة من‬
‫المخلفات الزراعية والمواد العضوية‪ ،‬الغاز الحيوى ‪ ،‬نظم توليد الغاز الحيوى)‬
‫‪-‬طاقة الرياح ( القدرة المتاحة ‪ ،‬معامل القدرة اسس توليد الطاقة من الرياح ‪،‬‬
‫منحنيات القدرة والسرعة ‪ ،‬خصائص الموقع‪،‬قوىالرفع واالحتكاك‪ ،‬نظم توليد من‬
‫الرياح) – طاقة المحيطات – طاقة الحرارة الجوفية‬

‫‪Assessment:‬‬
‫‪Final Exam: 60% , Quizzes :20% , Year work: 20%,‬‬
 Solar energy (Solar radiation flux, solar angles
estimation energy and measurements of solar radiation
fluxes ,solar energy systems)
 Solar radiation
Characeristics:
1-Solar radiation reaches the Earth’s surface at a maximum flux density of about 10kWm−2 in a
wavelength band between 0.3 and 2.5µm.
2-This is called short wave radiation and includes the visible spectrum.
3-For inhabited areas, this flux varies from about 3 to 30MJm−2 day−1, depending on
place, time and weather.
3-The spectral distribution is determined by the 6000°K surface temperature of the Sun.
4-This is an energy flux of very high thermodynamic quality, from an accessible source of
temperature very much greater than from conventional engineering sources.
5-The flux can be used both thermally (e.g. for heat engines) or, more importantly, for
photochemical and photophysical processes (e.g.photovoltaic power and photosynthesis)
 Solar Radiation
Definitions:
Radiation:
• It is (Electromagnetic energy) released, absorbed &reflected by all things travels as
both a particle and a wave
• It is affected by:

- gravity, magnetism, and

atmosphere composition,
distance, angle of incidence

• provides Earth with an

external source of energy
Nature of radiative energy (Radiation)
1-electromagnetic

2-travels as waves and also acts like particle

3-All things radiate energy

4-a function of Temperature

Stephan-Boltzman’s Law

F = s T4

Where F is radiation Flux

S.. is a constant 5.67 x 10-8 W/m2K4

T.. is the temperature in ° Kelvin

The hotter the object, the more energy it radiates

F = (5.67 x 10-8) x (6000)4 = 73,400,000 W/ m2 (Sun)

F = (5.67 x 10-8) x (288)4 = 390 W/ m2 (Earth)

Solar Structure

Sun is a fusion reactor , Some atoms of H transformed into other atoms and makes new, heavier
elements and releases a bunch of energy

H + H = He + a lot of energy

Photosphere- visible part of the sun we see all the time (covered during a solar eclipse)

consists primarily of Hydrogen (90%) and Helium (10%)

This is where the 6000° K temperature comes from uneven heat distribution in the 300 km thick
layer created by convection currents results in grainy appearance
 Solar Flux in Space
Definitions:
Solar Flux :
It is the energy emitted by the sun per unit area of the earth (watts/m²)
Solar Flux behavior :
❑ The energy flux emitted from the Sun spreads over an increasing spherical surface as it
moves into space.
❑ Because the area of a sphere increases in proportion to the square of its radius, the
radiative energy flux from the sun decreases as the inverse of the square of the distance
from the Sun.
❑ The solar fluxes at two different distances from the Sun, I1 and I2, relate to one another
as the inverse square of their distances from it, r1 and r2, that is:
I1/ I2 = (r2/r1)2

❑ Electromagnetic Energy Transfer

❑ Solar radiation is energy, traveling through space as electromagnetic (EM) wave
radiation.
❑ Radiation is a form of energy transfer that does not require mass exchange or direct
contact between the heat exchanging bodies.
❑ Radiation involves the propagation of EM energy at the speed of light
c* = 3x1010 cm/s.
❑ The speed of light c*, the frequency of the EM waves ν, and its wavelength λ are linked
through the following relationship: c* = λν
Blackbody Radiation:
❑ It is the body that emits energy over all frequencies in a continuous manner
is called a blackbody.
❑ Blackbody radiation is a function of temperature and wavelength.
❑ This dependence is described in Planck’s law of radiation:
E(T,λ) = C1 /)λ5[ exp(C2 /λT ( − 1] )
Where C1 and C2 are constants λ is the wavelength in m, and T is the
absolute temperature in K
❑ Planck's law states a complex .
❑ Wien law, stating the relationship between the wavelength corresponding
to the maximum energy flux output by a blackbody λmax (in μm) and its
absolute temperature T (in K): .

λmax = 2898/T
❑ Stefan-Boltzman law stating the relationship between absolute temperature and the
total energy flux emitted by a blackbody, over the entire wavelength range Ib (in
W/m2)
Ib = σT4
 Solar Energy systems

Passive solar heating Active solar heating

Solar thermal systems Photovoltaic (PV) cells
Methods of Harvesting Sunlight
Passive: cheap, efficient design; block summer rays; allow winter
Solar Thermal: ~30% efficient ; cost- competitive; requires direct sun ; heats fluid in pipes that
then boils water to drive steam turbine

Active:

Solar hot water: up to 50% efficient; several $k to

install; usually keep conventional backup; freeze
protection vital (even in S.D.!!)

Photovoltaic (PV): direct electricity; 15% efficient.

Spring 2013 21
 Photovoltaic (PV) Scheme
• Highly purified silicon )Si) from sand, quartz, etc. is “doped” with intentional
impurities at controlled concentrations to produce a p-n junction
– p-n junctions are common and useful: diodes, photodiodes, transistors…..

• A photon incident on the p-n junction liberates an electron

– photon disappears, any excess energy goes into kinetic energy of electron (heat)

– electron wanders around drunkenly, and might stumble into “depletion region” where
electric field exists (electrons, being negative, move against field arrows)

– electric field sweeps electron across the junction, constituting a current

– more photons → more electrons → more current → more power

photon of light
Si doped with
electric field n-type silicon
phosphorous, e.g.

Si doped with
boron, e.g.
p-type silicon liberated electron
Silicon structures:
• Silicon is a fourfold coordinated atom that is normally tetrahedrally bonded to four neighboring silicon atoms. In
crystalline silicon (c-Si) this tetrahedral structure continues over a large range, thus forming a well-ordered crystal lattice.

• In amorphous silicon this long range order is not present. Rather, the atoms form a continuous random network.
Moreover, not all the atoms within amorphous silicon are fourfold coordinated. Due to the disordered nature of the
material some atoms have a dangling bond. Physically, these dangling bonds represent defects in the continuous random
network and may cause anomalous electrical behavior.

• A polycrystalline material is comprised of many small crystallites with different crystal orientations that are
separated by grain boundaries. This is the common structure of most technical materials.

PV types
• Single-crystal silicon
– 15–18% efficient, typically
– expensive to make (grown as big crystal)
• Poly-crystalline silicon
– 12–16% efficient, slowly improving
– cheaper to make (cast in ingots)
• Amorphous silicon (non-crystalline)
– 4–8% efficient
– cheapest per Watt
– called “thin film”, easily deposited on a wide range of surface types
Electron flow circuit:

• Without a path for the electrons to flow out, charge would build up and end up canceling
electric field
– must provide a way out

– direct through external load

– PV cell acts like a battery

current flow

external load
 PV performance:

• Silicon is transparent at wavelengths longer than 1.1 microns (1100 nm)

– 23% of sunlight passes right through with no effect

• Excess photon energy is wasted as heat

– near-infrared light (1100 nm) typically delivers only 51% of its photon energy into
electrical current energy
• roughly half the electrons stumble off in the wrong direction

– red light (700 nm) only delivers 33%

– blue light (400 nm) only delivers 19%

• All together, the maximum efficiency for a silicon PV in sunlight is about 23%
 Solar Radiation Measurements

Energy from the Sun at the Earth’s Surface change with:

• Different parts of the sky
• Change with time )minutes, hours(
• Change with time (seasons, years, decades(
• Change with location

Light from the sky dome come from:

• Direct from the sun
• Everywhere by the sun
• Entire sky

Types of emitted light :

-Direct (beam)
-Diffuse (sky( always ≥ 10%
-Global (total)

Global is the sum of direct and diffuse

Solar Radiation Measurements Devices
They are mostly variations on two basic types: a pyroheliometer
 Direct Normal Global Horizontal Diffuse
Measured by a Measured by a Measured by a shaded
Pyrheliometer on a Pyranometer with a Pyranometer under a
sun-following tracker horizontal sensor tracking ball

Solar Irradiance Components

Global = Direct Normal * Cos(Z) + Diffuse

Z
 Thermopile Detectors
Radiometers work:
Thermo-electric detectors:
Two metals + Heat = Electrical Current

Copper-Constantan wire wound Thermopiles

Photovoltaic Cells use in Energy Production

4 types of PV cells
• Selective – Emitter Cell (SEC)
• Emitter wrap- through cells (EWC)
• Thin Film Photovoltaic
• Single Crystal Silicon Cells