ME645A

Solar Energy Technology

Credits:

 

 

 3L-0T-0L-0D (9 Credits)

 

Course Content:


Basic concepts, radiation spectrum, extraterrestrial radiation, sun earth relationship, Concept of time, terrestrial radiation, Diffuse and direct radiation, relationship between important angles, Angle of incidence on a tilted plane, shading, measurement of radiation, Radiation estimation on tilted plane, radiation augmentation, Flat plate collector, thermal analysis, Air heater, testing procedure, Single and double axes tracking, Parabolic trough collector, Compound parabolic concentrators, Basics of photovoltaic effect, Band bending, PN junction diode, bias, Light generated current, effect of temperature and intensity

Lecturewise Breakup (based on 50min per lecture):


I. Solar radiation and finding intensity on a tilted surface (12 Lectures)

Solar time and clock time, earth sun angles, observer specific angles, incidence angle on a general plane, sun path diagram, determination of shadow profile, wave spectrum of solar radiation, thermal and optical contribution, radiation exchange between surfaces, extraterrestrial radiation, atmospheric attenuation, Tracking of the sun, single axis tracking scenarios, Radiation on tilted surface


II. Flat Plate collectors (12 Lectures)

Useful heat gain, collector heat removal factor, temperature distribution along the fluid and the fin analysis in the cross direction, top and bottom loss coefficient, collector efficiency factor, collector flow factor, critical radiation level, different designs of the flat plate collectors, air heaters, evacuated tube collectors, stagnation temperature, single axis tracking modes


III. Photovoltaic systems (8 Lectures)

Semiconductors, intrinsic and extrinsic carrier concentrations, Fermi function, carrier motion, band bending, constancy of Fermi level across a P-N junction, continuity equation of carriers, space charge region, built-in potential, carrier concentration profile, forward and reverse bias, carrier injection, contribution of carriers in total current, dark I-V curve, solar generation, light generated current, maximum power point, cell efficiency, effect of radiation intensity and temperature


References:

  1. Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes, Duffie and Beckman, Fourth edition, 2013, Wiley Publication

  2. Solar Energy – principles of thermal collection and storage, SP Sukhatme, JK Nayak, third edition, 2008, McGraw Hill

  3. Solar photovoltaics – Fundamentals, technologies and applications, CS Solanki, third edition, 2015, Prentice Hall India Learning Pvt. Ltd

  4. Solar energy engineering – processes and systems, SA kalogirou, first edition, 2009, Academic Press

Prepared by :


Jishnu Bhattacharya