Solar Energy & the Future

Fossil fuels are the most significant contributor to global climate change, accounting for nearly 70% of the total greenhouse gas emissions and 90% of the total carbon emissions.

Energy is at center stage in terms of mitigating global climate change. The way we produce energy is the primary reason for the current state of our environment. The focus has been on renewable energy sources to minimize carbon footprints, and one of the most promising sources is solar energy.

What is solar energy?

The photovoltaic cells (you must have seen solar panels) harness the energy from sunlight falling on them and convert it to electrical power. Across this entire process, there isn't any source of carbon footprint, and it can be directly used as fuel to power devices and vehicles. Solar energy is exceptional in terms of the omnipresence of its source, solar radiation.

Current statistics

Globally, solar PV accounts for 3% of total energy production. In India, till November 2022, the solar capacity has increased to approximately 60 GW, about 14% of the total energy production. Subsequently, the contribution of renewables has gone up to 40% in India, and that's some serious progress concerning the Climate Change Action Plan.

Technical Aspects

Based on the meteorological data that consists the solar radiation data, two variables are calculated and used:

1. Declination Angle: It varies seasonally due to the tilt of the Earth on its axis of rotation and the rotation of the EartSunround the Sun. Now, this geographical data unique to a particular location is used to seasonally adjust the azimuthal angle of solar panels to absorb maximum solar radiation.
2. Solar Time: It provides the data for the movement of the sun throughout the day in angles, and the solar panels can be automated to move in compliance with the solar time for maximum sunlight absorption

Issue: Atmospheric variations and Cloud cover

Solution: The atmospheric variations include the availability of sunlight, wind, and dust that can significantly diminish energy production across diverse geographical conditions. Solar panels' tilt angle is determined to capture maximum incident power depending on the cloud cover type. The total solar irradiance consists of direct solar radiation normally falling to the solar panels and diffused solar radiation due to clouds. Specific devices can calculate these and build models to predict the amount of solar radiation on a time-series scale for a particular geographical area. This technology helps set up solar power plants in areas where the statistic model predicts maximum energy output from solar irradiance.

Issue: Energy conversion efficiency

Solution: Generally, solar panels could better convert solar radiation into electricity. The typical conversion rate is approximately 20% only. Based on the latest research, the maximum performance of a traditional silicon solar cell has reached 27.4%. We need solar energy to be a valuable renewable energy source, and material research is one of the most significant aspects of the future.

Issue: Maintenance of solar panels

Solution: Solar power plants span across a large surface area, and it's challenging to maintain the condition of solar panels that, includes occlusion from dirt, damaged panels, and many more. Recently, UAVs or drones have been extensively used for surveillance and looking for defects in solar panels. The whole technology works on a real-time detection system- a computational module is trained using relevant datasets to detect solar panels' dirt, cracks, and other defects. Even there have been plans on automating the whole infrastructure- if drones see occlusion from dirt or leaves, they automatically flush off those using fan blades attached to them.

Issue: Reliance on government policies

Solution: The RoI(Return on Investment) for Solar Energy Infrastructure could be better coz' of the required significant initial investment and challenges with the performance. Government policies are crucial to the solar energy sector regarding subsidies, operation policies, and allocated investment funds. The guidelines should encourage the inclusion of the private sector, especially entrepreneurs, to impact gross energy generation and meet the desired goals.

Economics

Currently, there are two types of solar energy: thermal and photovoltaic. The cost of solar power falls every year, and it can be cheaper than fossil fuels, depending on the sun and weather conditions in the place of installation. By some estimates, solar is now the most affordable form of energy in the United States, with prices as low as $0.70 per watt, according to Popular Science. Governments have levied solar and wind energy tax credits to incentivize renewable energy adoption. The prices will continue to decrease; many solar energy producers have estimated it cheaper than fossil-fuel-generated power.

Conclusion & Scope in IIT Roorkee

There are multiple ways to harness solar energy- solar panels at home; concentrated solar power plants that use collectors to concentrate widespread sunlight into a tiny backend receiver; and solar grids to store power in batteries that can be further used in rainy or winter seasons when the sunlight intensity is minimal. Solar Energy is one of the most dependable renewable sources after hydropower plants. It requires continuous research and government support regarding policies and funding to increase the non-fossil fuel industry.

IIT Roorkee already has a solar power infrastructure installed on the roof of every hostel to power the geysers and other additional electronic devices. Another decentralized approach could be setting up a solar power structure for every department building. The department should take care of its basic electrical amenities via solar power by building an off-grid system. An off-grid system stores solar energy, which can be used in the future in case no sunlight is available. Street lights, ground flood lights, and any road lights can be powered by either a central solar grid system or dedicated solar panels. The underlying concept is to make each building self-sustainable regarding primary energy usage via solar power.

Solar is a valuable component of the college's energy strategy and can serve in energy infrastructure improvements for your campus as — Recently, ECO Group IIT Roorkee has announced the implementation of EVs on the campus. Solar grids can be used to manage the extensive power usage for EV charging at stations and build a more sustainable transportation system to support the EV infrastructure. Microgrids, including a solar PV system, can be a resilient power supply for campus energy needs. Using renewable energy sources like solar, our institution will look at a massive reduction in electricity costs that can be further channeled for other vital purposes.