This document is an active learning assignment on solar energy prepared by Chandresh Suthar for his Renewable Energy Engineering course. It discusses solar energy and radiation, types of solar collectors including flat plate, concentrating, and evacuated tube collectors. It also covers methods of tracking the sun for maximum energy collection and various techniques for storing solar energy, including thermal, mechanical, electrical, chemical, and biological methods. Thermal storage options discussed include ice, rocks, bricks, and phase change materials like water and paraffin.

1. Gandhinagar Institute of
Technology
Mechanical engineering
Semester : 8
Division : D1
Subject : Renewable Energy Engineering (2181910)
Active learning assignment
on
“ Solar Energy ”
Prepared by : Chandresh Suthar
140120119229
Guided by : Prof. Maulik Sukhadiya

2. Content
Solar Energy
Solar Collector
Classification of solar collector
Storage of solar energy
Thermal Energy storage

3. SolarEnergy
Sun is a primary source of energy.
Temperature of the core of sun is
estimated between 8*106
K to 40*
106
K.
Due to thermonuclear fusion
reaction , Sun continuously
generates heat .
Introduction

4. Solarradiation
 All substance, solids, liquids, and gases at temperature above
zero emit energy in form of electromagnetic waves.
 This energy is called radiation. Radiation is a process by
which heat flows from a body at a higher temperature to a
body at a lower temperature .
 Radiation is the mode of heat transfer by which the sun
transfer energy to the earth.
 Radiation energy emitted from surface of sun,
Q = σA𝑻 𝟒
;
σ =Stefan Boltzman Constant;
= 56.7 * 10−9
W/𝒎 𝟐
𝑲 𝟒
A= heat Transfer surface area of the body;
T = Absolute Temperature of body;

5. SolarCollector
Solar collectors is a device
which collect solar radiation
and transfer to a fluid passing
in contact with it.

7. Classification of collectors
Solar collector
Non concentrating type Concentrating type
Flat plate collector
Liquid flat plate
collector
Line focus type
Focus type Non focus type
Compound parabolic
concentrator
Modified flat plate
collector
Point focus type
Flat plate air heating
collector
• Cylindrical parabolic
concentrator
• Line Fresnel lens concentrator
• Fixed mirror concentrator
• Parabolic dish collector
• Central tower collector
• Hemispherical bowl mirror
• Circular Fresnel concentrator

8. Cylindrical
paraboliccollector
 The cylindrical parabolic collector is line
focusing type concentrating collector .
 In which the solar radiation coming from
the particular direction is collected over
the area of reflecting surface and is
concentrated at the focus of parabola

9. Mirror strip
reflector
In mirror strip reflector, a long
narrow mirror strips are used.
This collector consists of a number
of plane or slightly curved mirror
strips arranged on a circular
reference cylinder.

10. Frensellens
typecollector
 It is a reflection type line focusing collector. In
this collector, a Fresnel lens which consists of fine
, linear grooves on the surface of reflecting
material on one side and flat on other side is
used.
 The angle of each grooves, is designed to make
the optical behavior similar to a spherical lens.
 This concentrate the solar beam to receiver tube.

11. Suntracking
system
 In order to maximum solar energy, the orientation
of the concentration of concentrator and absorber
relative to the direction of propagation of beam
radiation is needed and sun tracking is some
degree, will be required for focusing systems.
 Tracking for cylindrical system (line focusing
reflector) is one axis tracking only.
 Possible rotations:
 About North-South axis.
 About East –West axis
 About axis inclined and parallel
to the earth’s axis of rotation

13. Typesoftracking
system
1.Manual tracking system
2.Mechanical tracking system

14. Evacuatedtube
collector(ETC)
Evacuated tube collector consists of,
1.Evacuated tube,
2.Heat pipe
3.Heat exchanger bulb or condenser
bulb
4.Header pipe
5.Mounting frame

15. Evacuatedtube
collector(ETC)

16. Storageofsolar
energy
The fundamental drawback of any
renewable energy is its
intermittent nature.
Solar energy is available only for 6-
8 hours during a days.
Clouds and dust accumulation also
have effect on its performance.

17. EnergyAvailable
v/sdemandof
energy

18. Energystorage
method
Thermal
Mechanical
Electrical
Chemical
Electrochemical
Biological

19. Thermal
(Sensibleheatstorage)
 Ice
 Rocks
 Bricks
 Pebbles
 Sand
 Metals

20. Thermal
(latentheatstorage)
 Steam/Water/Ice
 Cryogenic liquid air or
nitrogen
 Paraffin
 Eutectic system
 Alcohols
 Hydrated salts with additives

21. Mechanical
 Pumped storage
 Hydraulic accumulator
 Hydroelectric energy
storage
 Compressed air storage
 Spring
 Gravitational potential
energy storage

23. Electrical
Capacitor
Supercapacitor
Superconducting
material

26. Chemical
Hydrogen
Biofuels
Liquid nitrogen
Hydrogen
peroxide
Vanadium
pentoxide

28. Electrochemical
Batteries Flow batteries

30. Biological Starch Glycogen

32. Thank you !!!