1. SOLAR PLANT OFF GRID SYSTEM
Submitted by: VISHNU RAWAT Submitted to: MAHIMA SHARMA
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL
ENGINEERING
2. WHAT IS SOLAR ENERGY
Solar power, also known as solar electricity,
is the conversion of energy from sunlight
into electricity, either directly using
photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using
concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells
convert light into an electric current using
the photovoltaic effect.Concentrated solar
power systems use lenses or mirrors and
solar tracking systems to focus a large area
of sunlight to a hot spot, often to drive a
steam turbine.
4. How Does Solar Energy Work? Step-
by-Step
Step 1: Solar Panels Capture Solar Energy
Let’s start by addressing the question, “How is solar energy
produced?”. Solar panels convert solar energy from sunlight
into electrical energy for your home. The most common solar
panels are made from one of three semiconductors:
monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, or thin-film
solar cells.
When sunlight hits the thin layer of semiconductive material,
it triggers the release of electrons from silicon atoms. The
negatively charged electrons are then attracted to the
positively charged side of the cell. This “photovoltaic effect”
forms as a result of the free-flowing electrons within the
solar panel. The moving electrons create an electric current
which is then harnessed by the wiring connected to the solar
panels to produce electricity.
The more sunlight that reaches the solar panels, the more
energy they generate. During peak sun hours, the panels in
your solar array receive the maximum concentration of
sunlight, which means they can convert sunlight to generate
the maximum amount of electricity during this period.
5. Step 2: Solar Inverters Convert DC to AC
Next up in our quest to answer “How does solar energy work?” is a lesson about
inverters. Solar panels produce electricity in the form of direct current (DC), which
means the electricity only flows in one direction. However, your home appliances use
alternating current (AC) electricity, which means the electricity flows in both
directions.
This means that the solar electricity from your panels needs to be converted from DC
to AC to make it usable in your home. To convert DC power to AC power, you need an
inverter.
It’s a simple job, but an essential one if you want to take advantage of solar energy.
Without the inverter, your system would create electricity, but it wouldn’t be able to
power anything.
The type of inverter you use depends upon the size and configuration of your home
solar energy system. A simpler system typically uses a string inverter, a single box in a
central location near your circuit breaker. More intricate systems use microinverters in
which each panel has its own individual inverter. Other inverter options include power
optimizers and hybrid inverters, depending upon your home’s energy needs.
Solar inverters also allow you to connect your solar panel system to the internet so you
can access information about your system’s performance. This helps you compare your
solar energy production and your household energy consumption so you can check if the
system is functioning properly and meeting your electrical load as required
6. Step 3: Electrical Panel Distributes Electricity.
Your electrical panel distributes electricity throughout your home. The circuit
breakers in the electrical panel can also cut off the flow of current to an
electrical circuit in case a fault or surge occurs, to prevent overload in
electrical lines that can cause damage.
While your solar panels generate electricity, they typically aren’t connected
directly to your appliances or other electronic devices. In terms of
understanding how do solar panels work, they provide electricity to the
electrical panel, and your electrical panel separates that home solar power
into individual circuits that run to everything in the house.
Lastly, electrical panels are also a key component of consumption monitoring.
There are devices that can be attached to either the main panel or each
individual circuit, allowing you to view more details about your specific
energy consumption, which can help you optimize your energy usage over
time.
7. Step 4: Electric Meter Records Consumption and Production
Your electric meter (sometimes called the “utility meter”) is the device your
utility company uses to measure your electricity consumption. It’s how they
know what to bill you each month. A traditional electric meter has analogue
dials that spin as current flows through it, which is why the utility company
has someone check your meter in person once a month. Even then, that
meter reading is just a summary of your electricity consumption for the
month.
When you go solar, you consume electricity from your solar panels, which
lowers the amount of electricity you consume from the grid. As a result, your
electric meter records a lot less consumption, and you save money by not
paying for that electricity from the utility company.
Most homes with solar have a smart meter installed, which records the exact
consumption of electricity for your house. Smart meters send real-time usage
data to your local utility company for billing, customer service, and research
purposes. A smart meter eliminates the need for estimated bills by measuring
exactly how much electricity is being used.
8. Step 5: Batteries Store Excess Energy .
Installing solar battery storage is essential to maximizing the long-term
benefits of going solar. If your solar panels generate more solar energy than
you can use, you can store that extra electricity in a solar battery. That way,
you have electricity available to you when the sun goes down or it’s a rainy
day – instead of drawing from the electricity grid.
Depending on the type, solar batteries can either store excess DC electricity
that’s produced by your solar panels, or they can be charged by AC electricity
that’s already been converted by your inverter.
9.
10.
11. Off-Grid Solar Power System
As the name suggests, the off-grid solar power systems work independently, off the
grid. However, it is the type that operates by first generating electricity from the solar
panels and then using that energy to charge a solar battery with the help of a charger
controller.
That electricity is then converted via inverter so that it can power the home or
business appliances. Via this method, the electricity that is saved in the battery can
also be used to power the appliances during the night or at those times when there is
less exposure to the sun.
An off-grid solar power system uses the following parts:
Battery bank
Solar Charge Controller
Off-grid solar inverter
DC Disconnect Switch
Backup generator
12. Benefits of Off-Grid Solar Power Systems
Investing in an on-grid solar power system would mean that you would
retain the common problems which are experiencedby other common
homeowners. For instance, there would be power outages, and you
would have to depend on the professionals and would require
particular infrastructuresto make use of the electricity.
On the other hand, one of the several benefits of off-grid solar power
systems is that you would be able to set yourself free from the
problem of power outages, considerably reduce the electricity bills,
and the installation would be an easy task. It would mean presenting
an alternate source of power while ensuring that the environment
doesn’t suffer in any way.
13. Now, let’s dive into some of the major benefits of off-grid solar
power systems:
Makes you completely energy independent:
Power Outages are unpredictable and occur without warning. This means that
you’d have to live without lighting causing great inconvenience. One of the
benefits of off-grid solar power systems is that it makes you completely
independent by going off the power grid.
Installation possible virtually anywhere:
The equipment that is required for the installation of off-grid solar power
systems does not have to depend on the grid, and therefore, the process of
installation is quite straightforward, without the need to rely on complex
infrastructure to function.
Plus, there is no need to depend on the professionals who otherwise would
have been required to connect your system to the city’s power grid. With
some basic knowledge, a person can easily install this system.
14. Sets you free from rising electricity charges:
Even today, fossil fuels like petroleum, coal, natural gas and oil happen to be
the primary source of energy. However, these resources are finite and are
depleting at a high rate. With this depletion, the prices for these resources
continue to rise and as a result, the electricity bill also continues to surge.
An easy alternative for the rural areas:
Rural areas are susceptible to frequent blackouts and the residents of rural
and remote areas tend to have electricity-related problems as one of the
major issues. Rural areas have fewer infrastructures and those too are not
very advanced. As a result, connection to the main power grid would be
difficult and an expensive affair.
In such areas, off-grid solar power systems prove to be the most profitable
option. These systems would make your household independent and free from
the inconsistent power channels of the city grid.
15. Environment friendly:
Burning fossils to create electricity would result in high emission of carbon
dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas, increasing the problem of global warming.
However, solar energy being the renewable source of energy is ecofriendly.
There is no emission of any harmful gas as these power systems use solar
power to produce energy. Thus, with the use of these systems, you also
contribute to keeping Mother Nature clean and green.
