WHAT IS SOLAR

POWER?
Solar power is the use of the
sun's energy either directly as
thermal energy (heat) or through the use
of photovoltaic cells in solar panels and
transparent photovoltaic glass to
generate electricity.
A photovoltaic cell (PV cell) is a
specialized semiconductor diode that
converts visible light into direct current
(DC). Some PV cells can also convert
infrared (IR) or ultraviolet (UV) radiation
into DC electricity. Photovoltaic cells are
an integral part of solar-electric energy
systems, which are becoming
increasingly important as alternative
sources of utility power.
 HOW DO SOLAR PANELS WORK?
Simply put, a solar panel works by allowing photons, or particles of light, to knock electrons free from
atoms, generating a flow of electricity
Pros and Cons of Solar Energy

Advantages of Solar Energy Solar Energy Disadvantages

Renewable Energy Source Cost

Reduces Electricity Bills Weather Dependent

Diverse Applications Solar Energy Storage is Expensive

Low Maintenance Costs Uses a Lot of Space

Technology Development Associated with Pollution

DID YOU KNOW?
 Did you know that the energy it
provides to the Earth for one hour
could meet the global energy
needs for one year?
DID YOU KNOW?
That we are able to
harness only 0.001
percent of that energy
APPLICATIONS OF SOLAR POWER
IN AGRICULTURE
SOLAR FARMING
SOLAR FARMING USES POWER GENERATED FROM SOLAR ENERGY TO OPERATE
AGRICULTURAL OR FARMING TOOLS. IT IS SIMPLE, COST EFFECTIVE, RELIABLE AND
LONG LASTING. MOST COMMON AGRICULTURAL TOOLS SUCH AS TRACTORS, WATERING
SYSTEMS, ROTATOR, ROLLER, PLANTER, SPRAYERS, BROADCAST SEEDER ETC. WORK ON
BATTERY POWER AND FUEL OIL. IN SOLAR FARMING, THE BATTERY POWER IS REPLACED
WITH SOLAR POWER, SO THAT THE USAGE OF ELECTRICITY FROM GRID-POWER AND
NON-RENEWABLE SOURCES CAN BE REDUCED
SOLAR DRYERS
 Solar dehydrators or dryers are used in farms to dry crops before sending them to the market. These dryers
commonly use passive solar panels for generating energy. A large-scale solar dryer usually consists of a shed,
drying racks and a solar collector (panels). The crops are dried when hot air is circulated through the shed by
natural convection or using a fan.
Solar Electric Fence
Solar powered electric fences are highly effective and dependable for large fields and cattle farms.
These fences typically consist of a SPV unit as a source of power, an energizer that produces high
voltage impulses (8kv) emitted in intervals of 0.9 to 1.2 seconds, along with a 12V battery. The
impulse carries 10 mA of current and delivers a shock lasting for a fraction of a second. The
batteries can be recharged using readymade solar fence chargers. Battery operated solar fences
may cost from INR45,000-50,000 per acre. Cheaper versions costing as low as INR10,000-25,000
per acre have been developed using locally made materials in some places in India.
Solar Milking Machine
Milking machines for cows operated on solar power instead of diesel or electric power are
another innovation. A SPV module connected to batteries powers the machine. A mobile
milking machine along with solar panels and battery backup is available for INR70,000.
Some states like Karnataka provide subsidies of up to 50% for these machines. There are
manual milking machines that can be either hand operated or connected to solar power as
well.
Solar Mowers & Tractors
Solar electric mowers are available with cordless and rechargeable battery options.
These lawn mowers do not emit toxic fumes and do not require frequent refueling to
run. Only a few hours of recharging from a solar-powered battery charger are
required. It is also possible to convert an existing fuel or electric lawn mower into a
solar mower.
Similarly, tractors and planting machines are available with solar panels on top to power them. Solar-
powered tractors can easily handle non-energy intensive operations like planting and harvesting. Their
operating costs would be a fraction of those of conventional tractors. However, the technology is relatively
new in India and used in a few places along with conventional tractors. May be in a decade, we will have
fully solar-powered agricultural machineries. Electronic sensors used to determine soil moisture,
precipitation, and location-specific weather data can also be made to work with solar energy. They can also
be programmed to be remotely operated.
SOLAR WATER PUMPING
SYSTEM
A solar photovoltaic (SPV) water pumping system consists of solar panels, an on-off switch, a control
& tracking mechanism, and a motor pump. This system essentially uses SPV cells for converting solar
energy into electric current. A SPV cell array capacity can range around 200 watts to 5KWp (kilowatt-
peak) based on the needs of different water sources such as bore-wells, open wells, reservoirs,
streams, etc.

Solar water pumping requires less power and is cost-effective because they do away with the need for
expensive fuel like diesel to operate. A solar pumping system with 1,000Wp capacity can give savings
of up to INR45,000 per year as compared to a diesel-operated pump. The system’s environmental
impact is nearly zero since there is no internal combustion engine as found in regular motors.
Automatic Solar Submersible Pump
Control for Irrigation
In recent days, agriculture field farmers are facing many problems in
watering their plants to keep their crops green in summer season. It’s
because they don’t have correct idea about the availability of the
power. Even if the power is available, they have to wait until the pitch
is properly watered. Thus this process restricts them to stop doing
other deeds. But, there is a solution, i.e., automatic solar submersible
pump control panel for irrigation. In the trial of 
solar based plant irrigation using submersible pumps, PV cells are used
to generate electricity, which is stored in rechargeable batteries.
These batteries produce power for the system operation. A
submersible pump controller is used to pump a water from a boor well
to a storage water tank. Then, the water is drawn by a submersible
pump at the slope’s toe, where the installed sprinklers water the
crops or plants.
These systems work in the sunlight. When sun shines the water
pumping process is a sensible way of solar electric power
utilization throughout the summer, as the water necessity is the
highest. These pumps  provide a reliable water source for
plantation. For any solar based pumping system, the capacity to
drive water is a function of three variable such as power, flow
and pressure. The following main components are used in this
automatic solar submersible pump control panel for irrigation
Solar Panel
These panels are designed with solar cells composed of semiconductor material
s. The main function of Solar panels is to convert solar energy into DC
electrical energy generally of 12V, which is further used for the rest of the
circuit. The number of cells required and their size depends on the rating of the
load. The collection of solar cells can produce maximum electricity.But, the
solar panel must  place exactly at right angles to the sun rays.
.
The Source
Water sources are available in the form of springs, drilled wells, rivers, ponds,
etc
The Submersible Pump
This solar system contains a submersible pump, a water tank, an irrigation pump, associated
water pumps. In the site  trial, the submersible pump is kept in a stainless steel case, which is
placed in a well pit at the junction of the open channel and the natural stream course. The
pump controller  pumps water to the water tank at a particular time period as set in the control
unit. This system is designed with 450W of power, which is capable of pumping 2000 liters of
water within 60 minutes. This power capacity takes into account  the height difference between
the water tank and the solar  submersible pump.
The PV Panels
The photo voltaic cells  depend on the size of the pump. A panel is esteemed in watts of power it can produce. This
solar submersible pumping system should be operated with a PV array of capacity in the range of 200 to 500 watts
peak, and measured under some standard test conditions. A plenty of modules in series & parallel could be used to
get the necessary PV power array power o/p. The o/p power of the PV modules which are used in the PV array
under standard test conditions should be a min of 74 watts peak

Charge Controller
A solar charge controller is very important device in any solar-power system. It is used to maintain proper charging
voltages of the batteries. The charge controller controls current and voltage from the solar panel and charges the
battery, and also stops the charging of the battery from over and undercharging conditions.
Battery
The Battery is an electric device, that is used to store current which is produced from the solar panel
and supplied to the corresponding loads. The number of batteries required depend on the load
requirement.

Inverter
The main function of the inverter is that it converts the battery’s  voltage to AC voltage in order to
activate then loads. Therefore, it helps us to run many electronic devices, home appliances and
computers. There are numerous types of inverters available in the market today.The characteristics of
typical inverters include high switching frequency, high conversion frequency and less harmonic
content, and so on.
 
 
 
Solar water pumping systems really exist in the Philippines,
like this farm, somewhere in Ilocos Norte, that uses SWPS.
Trivia
Our sun has been shining for over four and a half billion years.
However, humans have only known about solar power since the
1830s, when Alexandre Edmond Becquerel discovered the
photovoltaic effect. We don’t know why inventors always have
such cool names, but we do know a slew of solar power facts—
as it happens, we have spotlighted below. Read on to learn
about where in the world solar energy is the most popular, how
solar power impacts our health, how much solar panels cost, and
much more
1. Photovoltaic cells are commonly made from different types of silicon

2. Sunlight takes a little over eight minutes to reach Earth and a few seconds longer to make contact with
your solar panels
3. In the United States, solar panels need to face south to capture optimal sunlight
Most solar panels have 200- or 250-watt capacities
4. Solar power is measured like all electricity—in watts (kilowatts, megawatts, gigawatts, and terawatts).
One thousand watts equal one kilowatt, 1,000 kilowatts equal one megawatt, 1,000 megawatts equal one
gigawatt, and 1,000 gigawatts equal one terawatt
5. Most solar panels have 200- or 250-watt capacities.
6. The majority of solar panels can produce eight to ten kilowatts of energy per square foot
7. Most homes consume nearly 11,000 kilowatt-hours of energy each year,  1 meaning that to power your
entire home off the grid, you’d need upwards of 30 250-watt solar panels that get a daily average of four
hours of full sunlight

8. In order to power the entire earth on renewable energy, we would need to install solar panels on over
191,000 square miles.2 Considering there are over 57million square miles of land on earth, we have room
to spare.
9. The potential to harness solar power was first discovered by Alexandre Edmond Becquerel in 1839. He
figured out the photovoltaic effect, or how to create an electrical current in a conductor that’s hit by the
sun’s rays.
10. The first solar cells were available for purchase to the public in 1956, but at 
$300 per one-watt solar cell, few could afford them

The first solar-powered calculators were invented

11.

in 1978
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