The Applications of Solar Energy in

powering Agriculture.

K.SUPRIYA 2018001105

II Bsc.(Hons)Agriculture
 What is Solar Energy?
• Solarenergy is the most abundant energy resource on earth.
It can be captured and used in several ways, and as a
renewable energy source, is an important part of our clean
energy future.
• Solarenergy comes from the sun and can be captured with
various technologies, primarily solar
panels.
• The“photovoltaic effect” is the
mechanism by which silicon solar
panels harness the sun’s energy
and generate electricity.
 Solar Energy Technologies

• There are two ways to convert solar energy into electrical energy; a
system using photovoltaic technology and another that uses solar capture
heating system.
• In the photovoltaic system, the sun rays are converted directly to
electricity by semiconductors.
• In addition, in the method of heating, electrical power via the
thermodynamic process, with help of heat exchange equipment, can be
converted to mechanical energy.
• These two methods are centralized and non- centralised. The photovoltaic
method leads to more investments.
• In recent years with advances in the field of solar energy, thermal
methods are used for power supply.
1. Solar Dryer
• Using the sun for drying crops and grains is one of the oldest used
applications of solar energy.

• Different solar dryers includes:

i) Natural open air dryers
ii) Direct solar dryers
iii) Indirect solar dryers
iv) Solar hybrid dryers

• Solar dryers protect grain, fruits

and vegetables, reduces losses,
dry faster and more uniformly,
and produce a better quality product than open-air methods.
2. Solar Greenhouse
• Unlike regular greenhouses, solar greenhouses enable gardeners to grow out-of-season
vegetables and fruits since the solar greenhouse retain solar heat.
• A solar greenhouse has thermal mass to collect and store solar heat energy, and insulation to
retain this heat for use during the night and on cloudy days.
• Solar greenhouses are normally oriented towards the south in order to maximize heat
absorption.
• Many parameters are to be considered the design of a greenhouses. We can manipulate this
parameters for our purposes and with respect to outer conditions. A few important parameters
are..
 Orientation and tilt
 Modes of heat transfer
 Glass or plastic glazing materials
 Heat storage in greenhouse
Solar powered green house
3. Solar water pumping
• Photovoltaic water pumping systems may be the most cost-effective
water pumping option in locations where there is no existing power
line.
• From crop irrigation to stock watering to domestic uses, photovoltaic-
powered pumping system meet a broad range of water needs. Most of
this system have the added advantage of storing water for use when
the sun isn’t shining, eliminating the need for batteries, enhancing
simplicity and reducing overall system costs.
4. Solar farm house:
• Electrification to farm is difficult in some places and the cost is very high and
for the sake of reducing costs, solar energy can be used because it is available
in all locations and can provide the electricity and fuel needed, for a home can
provide lighting lamps and other appliances using the energy used.
 Conclusion
• Farmers are at the center of the problem regarding global
warming; since the rise in temperature affects the climate change
which in turn affects the agriculture produce. World population is
continuously increasing and the demand for food products is
witnessing a significant rise. Using solar power can help us to
curb climate change and help us fight the problem effectively.
• Using solar energy is a good step to reduce the need for fossil
fuels used for heating.
References:
• http://energypedia.info.com
• http://dx.doi.org/10.21622/RESD.2017.03.2.234
• Smith. ”Revisiting solar power’s past. Technology Review.”pp.38-47,July,1995.
THANK YOU