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RENEWABLE ENERGY
TRAINING COMPONENT

PREPARED BY:
LUDIN CONSULTING AND QRTDW JV
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MAIN TRAINING TOPICS

1 SOLAR POWER SYSTEM
2 SOLAR WATER PUMPING SYSTEM
3 SOLAR HOT WATER SYSTEM
4 PVSYST SOFTWARE
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PART ONE

SOLAR POWER SYSTEM

TRAINING
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Chapter 1 Basics of Solar Power

Chapter 2 Economics of Solar Energy Systems
Chapter 3 Solar Assessment and Feasibility
Chapter 4 PV System Sizing
Chapter 5 PV System Design
Chapter 6 PV System Sourcing
Chapter 7 PV System Installation
Chapter 8 SCADA Monitoring System
Chapter 9 Testing and Commissioning
Chapter 10 PV System Maintenance
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The Group Project ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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• The class will undertake one group project, which will

be implemented throughout the stages of the
training.
• Groups will be same as for the previous assignments
• Group members divide tasks and complete them SOLAR
jointly.
• Project outcome will be prepared in PPT and POWER
presented (15-minutes) to the class
• Project:
SYSTEM
• Identify a site for your project including a Residential,
Public or commercial building
• Sign agreement with the building owner after
receiving instructor’s approval.
• Plan and Design Complete Solar Power System in
stages as per training.
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CHAPTER 1 SUPPORT II

BASICS OF
SOLAR ENERGY
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Essentials
• Solar energy refers to capturing the energy from the Sun and
subsequently converting it into electricity.
• The Sun's energy is in the form of solar radiation, which makes the
production of solar electricity possible.
• Solar energy is a renewable free source of energy that is sustainable
and totally inexhaustible, unlike fossil fuels that are finite.
• It is a non-polluting source of energy and it does not emit any greenhouse gases when producing
electricity.
• Using solar power means reducing your energy bills and saving money.
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Essentials Terminology
• Solar Radiation: The amount of
radiant energy emitted by the sun.
• Solar Irradiation: The amount
of solar radiation received from the Sun per
unit area, expressed in (kW/ m²) - Power
• Solar Insolation: The average amount of
energy hitting an area each day, expressed
in kWh/m2 Per Day - Energy
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Essentials – Solar Irradiation

• Solar radiation is absorbed, scattered and reflected by components of atmosphere
• Radiation reaching the earth is less than what entered the top of the atmosphere.
Direct Normal Irradiance (DIN): Radiation from the sun that reaches the earth
without scattering
Diffuse Irradiance (DIF): Radiation that is scattered by the atmosphere, clouds, and
may arrive from all directions.
Albedo Irradiance: Direct or diffuse radiation reflected from the soil or nearby surfaces
(snow, lakes, etc.)
Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI): Total amount of shortwave radiation received from
above by horizontal surface. It includes both DIN and Diffuse Horizontal Irradiance.
Global In-Plane Irradiance: Total amount of radiation (both DNI and DHI) received
from above by an inclined surface.
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Essentials – Solar Irradiation

• Peak Sun Hours is the number of hours required for a day’s
total radiation to accumulate at peak sun condition.
• Zenith is the point in the sky directly overhead – as the Zenith
angle Өz increases, the sun approaches the horizon.
• Major motions of Earth affect the apparent path of the sun
across the sky:
- Yearly revolution around the sun
- Daily rotation about its axis
• Ecliptic Plane is the plane of Earth’s orbit around the sun
• Equatorial Plane is the plane containing Earth’s equator and
extending outward into space Cos Ө
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Essentials – Solar Movement

• Solstice - either of the two times in the year,
the summer solstice and the winter solstice, when the
sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky at
noon, marked by the longest and shortest days.
• Equinox - the time or date (twice each year) at which
the sun crosses the celestial equator, when day and
night are of equal length (about 22 Sept and 20 Mar).
• Solar Window is the area of sky between sun paths at
summer solstice and winter solstice
• Incidence Angle is the angle between the direction of
direct radiation and a line exactly perpendicular to the
array angle
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Essentials – The Angles

• Incidence Angle is the angle between
the direction of direct radiation and a
line exactly perpendicular to the array
angle.
• Tilt angle is the vertical angle between
the horizontal and the array surface
• Array Azimuth Angle is the horizontal
angle between a reference direction -
typically south - and the direction an
array surface faces
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Essentials – Measuring Irradiation

• Pyranometers – Direct measurement of
solar irradiation.
• Pyranometers are high precision sensors
using a thermocouple measuring the
temperature difference between an absorber
surface and the environment.
• Measures solar irradiance on a planar surface
• Measures the solar radiation flux density
(W/m²) from the hemisphere above within a
wavelength range 0.3 to 3 μm.
• Satellite Images - Indirectly
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BASICS OF SOLAR ENERGY Essentials SUPPORT II

Solar Insolation for Afghanistan & Globally

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The Technology
• The sun is a natural nuclear reactor. It releases tiny packets of energy called photons,
which travel the 93 million miles from the sun to Earth in about 8.5 minutes.
• Every hour, enough photons impact our planet to generate enough solar energy to meet
global energy needs for an entire year.
• When photons hit a solar cell, they knock electrons loose from their atoms.
• When conductors are attached to the positive and negative sides of a cell, it forms an
electrical circuit.
• When electrons flow through such a circuit, they generate electricity.
• Multiple cells make up a solar panel
• Multiple panels (modules) can be wired together to form a solar array.
• Solar panel’s electricity is in the form of direct current (DC), so electrons flow in one
direction around a circuit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp6UI1x8mSo
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Uses of Solar Energy

• Thermal: As heat for making
- Hot water,
- Heating buildings
- Cooking.
• Electric: To generate electricity with solar cells.
• Water desalination using electric of thermal
methods
• To use sun rays for drying
- Clothes and towels
- Fruits and vegetables
• Use by plants for process of photosynthesis.
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Focus: Solar Electricity Generation

• Photovoltaic technology directly converts sunlight into electricity.
• Solar thermal technology harnesses its heat. These different technologies both tap the Sun's energy, locally
and in large-scale solar farms.
Thermoelectric Power Plants Photovoltaic (PV) Power Plants
• Heat energy is converted to electric power. • Can be as low as 1 kW or as high as in Gigawatts.
• Turbine is steam-driven. • Uses solar cells to convert energy from the sun
• Water is heated, turns into steam and spins a steam into a flow of electrons by the photovoltaic effect.
turbine which drives an electric generator. • Solar cells produce direct current electricity from
• After it passes through the turbine the steam sunlight.
is condensed in a condenser and recycled to where • Can be direct application or through a battery
it was heated. bank.
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Focus: Solar Electricity Generation

Thermoelectric Power Plant Photovoltaic Power Plant

FOCUS: PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) POWER GENERATION

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Types of PV Systems
Monocrystalline solar panels Polycrystalline solar panels have solar cells Thin Film Amorphous solar panels is made of thin
have solar cells made from a made from many silicon fragments melted films of semiconductors deposited on glass, plastic or
single crystal of silicon. together metal.
• Highest efficiency rates • Process to make them is simpler and • Mass-production is simple - potentially cheaper
since they are made of cost less.
highest-grade silicon. • Their homogeneous appearance makes them look
• The amount of waste silicon is less. more appealing.
• Space-efficient: Highest • Lower heat tolerance (higher
output  Least space • Can be made flexible - many new applications.
temperature co-efficient). As heat
• Long lifespan. increased output of cell will fall less. In • High temperatures and shading have less impact
practice differences are very minor. on panel performance.
• More efficient in warm • Efficiency is low at around 14-16%.
weather compared to • Takes up more space. So, not very useful for in
other panels. • Lower space-efficiency. most residential situations.

• Most expensive. • Less aesthetically pleasing (not uniform • High cost of PV-equip (e.g. support struct & cables)
look, speckled blue color). • Degrade faster  Shorter warranty.
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Key Types of Connection

• Grid Connected
System

• Off-Grid System

• Hybrid System
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Types of Applications
• Stand-alone Systems - The system which utilizes • Micro-Grids - A small-scale power grid that can operate
only solar electric energy as main source of independently or collaboratively with other small
energy is referred as standalone power grids. The practice of using microgrids is known as
solar electrical system. Popular examples distributed, dispersed, decentralized, district or
of standalone solar systems are solar lanterns, embedded energy production.
solar home lighting systems, solar water • Solar Utilities - Utility-scale solar refers to large scale
pumping systems, etc. electricity generation that sell the power they generate
• Single User Solar System – A system providing directly into the electric grid. Utility-scale solar projects
power to a single user such as a residential unit are described as being “in front of the meter” as opposed
or a commercial unit. to distributed generation systems, which are “behind the
meter”. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), a
• A Mini-Grid - An off-grid electricity distribution leading trade group for solar developers, defines a solar
network involving small-scale electricity project as utility-scale if it generates greater than 1
generation. Often conflated with microgrids, megawatt (MW) of solar energy. The National Renewable
a mini-grid is sometimes defined as having a Energy Laboratory (NREL) uses a 5 MW threshold to
power rating less than 11kW and as being qualify utility-scale solar projects. In some markets, the
disconnected from utility-scale grids. threshold is 2 MW and up, in others it’s as high as 25 MW
and up.
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Myths vs. Facts

• Solar power takes up too much land - Average solar PV systems take between 1.2 to 2 hectares per MW. Compare this with 1.6 to
2.5 hectares per MW for a nuclear power plant. Or 12 to 30 hectares per MW for a wind farm.
• Solar power is inefficient - The best solar panels have an efficiency of around 15-20% because it converts energy from the sun.
However, solar power has one of the best efficiencies for Area vs. GWh of energy produced per year.
• Solar panels do not work in cold snowy weather or when it is cloudy - Solar panels work in sunny, cold, and even cloudy
environments. They are more effective in cooler temperatures. Examples of countries where such systems are efficient are
Germany (world leader of solar panels), the UK, China and Italy.
• Solar energy is too costly and is not economically viable - It is cheaper to produce electricity from solar energy than it is from
coal.
• Installing solar is complicated & requires much maintenance -Solar panel installation is relatively easy if you are using a reliable
manufacturer. Grid connected system only require panel cleaning with water. Solar panels withstand harsh weather, including
hail, sleet, etc. Battery based system, need more cleaning.
• Solar panel prices are based on the size of your home - Solar panels are designed to fit the needs of each homeowner. The
orientation and slope of your home’s roof as well as surrounding areas are critical parameters for sizing.
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Quiz # 1

5-minute quiz on
Basics of Solar
Energy