Renewable energy

General studies 2016

Basic ideas

Renewable Energy any sustainable energy source that comes

from natural environment.

Features of Renewable Energy

It exists perpetually
It is a clean alternative to fossil fuels

Introduction

Major Renewable Energy Sources

Hydro Energy
Wind Energy
Solar Energy
Biomass Energy
Tidal Energy
Geothermal Energy
Wave Energy
Wastes

Why renewables?
The benefits of moving to renewables
are immense
energy security,
climate protection,
reduced pollution
health benefits for people

Introduction
Solar Panels

Wind Turbine Generators

Wind Energy - Technology

Differential heating of the earths surface

and atmosphere induces vertical and
horizontal air currents that are affected by
the earths rotation and contours of the
land and generates WIND.

A wind turbine obtains its power input by

converting the force of the wind into a
torque (turning force) acting on the rotor
blades.

The amount of energy which the wind

transfers to the rotor depends on the
density of the air, the rotor area, and the
wind speed.

PLF of Wind Farm is normally in the range

of 20 % to 30% depending upon the site
conditions and WTG rating.

P Power

P = 0.5 X X A X V

Air Density (kg/m3)

A Blade Area -turbine (m2)
V Wind velocity (m/s)

Wind Energy - Technology

Major Components of Wind Turbine

What is Solar Energy?

Originates with
the thermonuclear
fusion reactions
occurring in the
sun.
Represents the
entire
electromagnetic
radiation (visible
light, infrared,
ultraviolet, x-rays,
and radio waves).

Disadvantages
Sun does not shine consistently.
Solar energy is a diffuse source. To
harness it, we must concentrate it into
an amount and form that we can use,
such as heat and electricity.

Solar Energy - Technology

Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity.

Two main commercial ways of conversion of sunlight into electricity.

Concentrating Solar Thermal Plant (CSP)
Photovoltaic Plants (PV)

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Solar Energy - Technology

Concentrating Solar Thermal Plant

(CSP)
It contains;
Collector Field
Turbine
Generator
Cooling Tower
Transformer
Courtesy: ESP Solar

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Solar Energy - Technology

Solar Photovoltaic Plants (PV)

It contains;
Solar Arrays
Inverter
Transformer

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Solar Energy - Technology

In both CSP and PV technologies, solar resources plays major role.

Maps are available to calculate solar resource of a particular region. However, for both CSP
and PV technologies different solar radiations are taken into account.
Basically two types of solar radiations are there;
Global Horizontal irradiations (GHI)
Direct Normal Irradiation (DNI)
For PV technologies GHI is considered. GHI
consists of diffuse radiations and direct
horizontal radiations (beam).
For CSP, DNI is considered. DNI
is the amount of radiation received by
a surface which is permanently aligned
perpendicular to the incoming beam.

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How much solar energy?

The surface receives about 47% of the

total solar energy that reaches the Earth.
Only this amount is usable.

Efficiency and
Disadvantages
Efficiency is far lass
than the 77% of solar
spectrum with usable
wavelengths.
43% of photon energy
is used to warm the
crystal.
Efficiency drops as
temperature
increases
Overall, the efficiency
is about 10-14%.

Underlying problem is
weighing efficiency
against cost.
Crystalline siliconmore efficient, more
expensive to
manufacture
Amorphous siliconhalf as efficient, less
expensive to
produce.

 Traditional solar cells are made from

silicon
currently the most efficient solar cells
available for residential use
account for around 80+ percent of all
the solar panels sold around the
world.
Generally silicon based solar cells are
more efficient and longer lasting than
non silicon based cells.

Green norms for renewable

energy
Renewable energy projects can have major ecological
impacts if they are installed without proper
environmental assessment and management.
For instance, the impact of wind power on forest ecology
can be very high.
However, wind projects are being installed in forest areas
without going through any environmental impact
assessment (EIA).
4,000 hectares of forests have been diverted for wind
power development and majority of this is only in two
states, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Many of these wind power projects are coming up in the
eco-sensitive Western Ghats.

Environmental issues in renewables

Similarly, small hydro projects (SHP) are exempted from EIA.
Multiple SHP on a single river can completely destroy a river's
ecology.
Guidelines for setting aside ecological flow for rivers and
undertaking cumulative impact assessment, therefore,
become very important.
Large solar projects too have environmental impactsthey
are land and water intensive.
These issues should be addressed before setting-up large
solar plants.
There is now a growing consensus within the environmental
community about the necessity of proper environmental
regulations for the renewable energy sector: it should be
subjected to the EIA process.

 Present Installed Capacity of Renewable Energy Sources

in India
Renewable Energy Source

Present Installed Capacity

Wind

10200 MW

Small Hydro

2100 MW

Bagasse

750 MW

Biomass

620 MW

Solar

2 MW
Total RE Installed Capacity 13672 MW
Source: Ministry of New & Renewable Energy Sources (MNRE)
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Financial status
Fund allocation

Total allocation for

energy

10,94,938

MNRE

33,003

Nuclear

66,590