Solar Energy Resources

Energy Usage

US 95,000 kWh/person/yearJapan 46,000Germany 57,000France 50,000China 7,400Brazil 10,200Mexico 17,100

US accounts for 23% of world energy consumption with 5% of the population

Coal

Nuclear

Oil

Gas

Hydro

Biomass

Geothermal, wind solar, etc.

RE

Total~400 Quadrillion Btu

World Energy Use

Time Consuming Transition

We cannot conceive of any affordable government-sponsored "crash program" to accelerate normal replacement schedules so as to incorporate higher energy efficiency technologies into the privately-owned transportation sector; significant improvements in energy efficiency will thus be inherently time-consuming (of the order of a decade or more).

“PEAKING OF WORLD OIL PRODUCTION: IMPACTS, MITIGATION, & RISK MANAGEMENT” Hirsch, Bezdek, Wendling

Solar Energy

How much energy from the sun actually reaches the Earth?

1350 Watts/square meter (at the surface of the atmosphere)

1000 Watts/square meter (at the surface of the earth)

Greenhouse Effect

Blackbody Radiation

Low temperaturesLong wavelength radiation(40ºC 10,000 nm peak)

High temperatures Shorter wavelength radiation(6000 ºC 500 nm peak)

Blackbody Radiation (6000 K)

-2.00E+05

0.00E+00

2.00E+05

4.00E+05

6.00E+05

8.00E+05

1.00E+06

1.20E+06

1.40E+06

0.00E+00 5.00E-07 1.00E-06 1.50E-06 2.00E-06 2.50E-06 3.00E-06 3.50E-06 4.00E-06

Wavelength

Rad

iatio

n In

tens

ity

Blackbody Radiation (1000 K)

-2.00E+01

0.00E+00

2.00E+01

4.00E+01

6.00E+01

8.00E+01

1.00E+02

1.20E+02

1.40E+02

1.60E+02

1.80E+02

0.00E+00 5.00E-06 1.00E-05 1.50E-05 2.00E-05 2.50E-05 3.00E-05

Wavelength

Rad

iatio

n In

tens

ity

Blackbody radiation (300 K)

0.00E+00

5.00E-02

1.00E-01

1.50E-01

2.00E-01

2.50E-01

3.00E-01

3.50E-01

4.00E-01

4.50E-01

0.00E+00

1.00E-05

2.00E-05

3.00E-05

4.00E-05

5.00E-05

6.00E-05

7.00E-05

8.00E-05

Wavelength

Ra

dia

tio

n i

nte

ns

ity

Greenhouse Effect

Flat Plate Collector

From: National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Solar Water Heater

Solar Collectors

Solar Water Heat

Use the principles of optics – focusthe sunlight witha mirror.Water in tube reaches up to 570oF

Cost of Electricity Generation (¢/kWh)

Combined cycle gas turbine 3 – 5

Coal 4 – 5

Wind 4 – 7

Biomass gasification 7 – 9

Remote diesel generation 20 – 40

Solar PV distributed 20 – 50

Solar PV central station 20 - 30

Nuclear 11 - 14

Hydroelectric 5 - 11

CO2 Emissions

IAEA data

Photovoltaics

Atoms - energy levels

Solids - three types:a) insulatorsb) conductorsc) semi-conductors

Solar cell

Photovoltaic Prices