The document discusses available energy resources for rural areas in India, including traditional and modern sources. Traditional sources include biomass from wood, dung, crops and oils. Modern sources include solar panels, wind turbines, and generators. The document also outlines various projects that have utilized these energy sources, such as solar phone charging, biogas digesters, and solar cookers. It provides information on measuring and harnessing solar radiation, as well as government and private initiatives to expand solar energy access in rural India.

1. Available Energy Resources in
Rural India
Rural Energy Technology
Dr. Basudev Pradhan

2. Available Energy Resources in Rural India
Unit-III: Available Energy resources: Traditional Resources
Biomass: Wood, Dung, Human waste, crop residues, harvested biomass (
Jatropha, koranj oil, palm fruit), Grasses, Refined biomass: Oils, Alcohols), Basic
solar, Basic wind, Food (ATP to ADP reactions resulting in muscle power), food
to fuel. Humans: Basic Labor, Labor saving devices. Animals, water.
Unit-IV: Available Energy resources: Modern Resources
Internal combustion Engines: Generators, Shaft power, Modern solar, modern
wind turbines, water treatment facilities,
Available Energy resources
Traditional Resources
Modern Resources

3. A list of projects that have been undertaken in this class over the last few years follows:
Thermoelectric lighting
Gel fuel production system (Biomass treatment, fermentation, distilling, gelling.)
Three generations of gel fuel stoves
Solar cell phone charger
Pyrolizer for production of Bio-Char
A GlobalResolve “Do-Tank”
Educational curricula:
o Framework and methodology for education of villagers in maintenance and upkeep of
technologies "dropped" off in villages
o Grade School science curriculum using indigenous materials
Available Energy Resources in Rural India

4. Available Energy Resources in Rural India
Solar powered battery charging "kiosk" with battery exchange. (Netflix for batteries.)
Personal water filter designed for small children (charcoal based)
Micro-scale biogas digester
Mosquito repelling system
Solar Ovens
“Breeder stove” that generates charcoal while cooking.
Pacifier imbedded inside of particle filter mask
Solar hot water system (for heating and personal use)
Replacement of batteries by super-capacitors charged by thermoelectric devices
Lantern based on ultra-clean combustion of animal fat
Soap manufacturing
Wind turbines:
Automatic solar actuated drip irrigation system with measurement of soil moisture
content.

5. Design of photo voltaic systems for
 water pumping,
 lighting,
 solar cell phone charger, battery charging “kiosk”,,
Solar power irrigation system
Solar hot water system (for heating and personal use)
 solar cookers,
solar drying and distillation,
Solar power irrigation system,
Micro-scale biogas digester,
Bio gassifer,
food preservation,
wind turbine power treadle pump
Rural Energy Technology Development

6. 6
Solar Energy at Earth's surface
The surface receives about 47% of the total solar energy
that reaches the Earth. Only this amount is usable.
We have a fusion reactor that has been burning over 4 billion years. ... The SUN
Only 0.023% solar energy is captured by photosynthetic organisms , this makes life on
Earth possible

7. 7
Solar Energy at Earth's surface
www.altenergy.org
The Sun provides enough energy in one minute to supply the world's energy
needs for one year
The amount of solar radiation striking the earth over a three-day period is
equivalent to the energy stored in all fossil energy sources
The amount of solar radiation striking to earth in a day, that can be use by the
whole 7 billion human in 27 years
Solar Energy per year:
Wsun =1.56 * 1018 kWh
Yearly energy demand worldwide:
Wdemand =1.11 *1014 kWh
The worldwide Energy demand is only 0.01 % of the energy introduced by
the sun
Some facts:

8. •A pyrheliometer measures
the direct component of
solar irradiance, which is
important when installing
concentrating collectors.
Pyrheliometer

9. Pyranometer
•Diffuse solar irradiance can be
measured by adding a shadowing device
to a pyranometer, which blocks the
direct component of total irradiance.

10. Sunshine Recorder

11. Handheld pyranometers
•Handheld pyranometers
use less precise sensors
than precision
pyranometers but are
more suitable for field
measurements.

12. PV Reference cells
•Reference cells output a
certain electrical current
for each unit of solar
irradiance received.

13. World Solar Energy map

17. Solar Radiation

18. Winter solstice

19. The average seasonal
declinations define the
optimal tilt angles for
those periods.

20. Solar Radiation
• Solar Window is the area of sky containing all possible locations of the sun
throughout the year for a particular location.
Summer solstice: june 20-22
Equinox; 20th march/22 Sept
Winter solstice: dec 21-22
Uttarayan 14th -15th jan

21. Winter solstice

22. Solar Radiation
Incidence Angle is the angle between the direction of
direct radiation and a line exactly perpendicular to the
array angle

23. Solar Radiation
1. Tilt angle is the vertical angle between the horizontal and the
array surface
• Array orientation is defined by two angles:

25. Solar Radiation

26. Solar Radiation
• Maximum energy gain will be achieved by orienting the array
surface at a tilt angle close to the value of the local latitude –In high
latitudes arrays should be very steep and vice versa
• For optimal performance the tilt angle should be adjusted from the
latitude angle by an amount equal to the average declination during
that time
• During the summer the average declination is +15º, so we should
have a tilt of latitude minus 15º to make the array perpendicular to
the average solar path –during the summer
• Array Azimuth angle will be optimal when that array is due south
• Sun trackers allow the PV array to change the tilt angle, the
azimuth angle, or both –generally is not considered cannot be made
cost effective

27. Solar radiation received in year
The equator (gray line) Northern (blue lines) Southern (green) latitudes
The peak energy received at different latitudes changes throughout the year.
(NASA illustration by Robert Simmon.)

28. Peak Sun hoursPeak sun hours is an equivalent
measure of total solar
irradiation in a day.

29. Daily Global and Diffuse radiation

30. 30
What is Solar cell?
Solar cell is a solid state electrical device that converts the solar
energy directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect.
3 basic steps: 1. Light absorption
2. Free charge carriers generation
3. Charge transport

31. 31
Classification of Solar Cells
Silicon-based solar cell
Inorganic solar cells
a. Silicon
Crystalline ( single crystalline, poly-crystaline)
Thin film (Amorphous )
b. Compound semiconductor( GaAs, CIGS)
Organic solar cells
a. Thin film
b. Dye-sensitized solar cells
Hybrid solar cells
Organic-inorganic
Organic solar cell
In terms of materials
Image: Konarka

33. Solar: Easy Energy In Rural India
 Solar energy is
practically inexhaustible
 Widely distributed
 Environment friendly
 Cost free in raw form
 No need to transport raw
materials to villages
 No towers, heavy
cabling, etc.

34. Governmental Rural Initiative:
Solar Cooking Project
 Current sources available for
cooking are firewood, crop
residues and animal dung in
rural areas
 Promoted by the Government
of India
 Parabolic Dish Solar Cookers
 Solar Box Cooker
 Community Solar Cooker
 Solar Steam Cooking System

35. Private Initiative:
Solar Loans from Selco India
 Customers: poor daily-wage
laborers to institutions
 All buy solar panels at the same
rate: about $450 for a 40-watt
system that can light several 7-
watt bulbs for four hours
between charges.
 Persuaded rural banks to lend
hundreds of dollars to rural
people