Solar power plants harness energy from the sun and convert it to electricity through one of two processes: photovoltaic cells that directly convert sunlight to electricity, or solar-thermal systems that use mirrors to heat a liquid and create steam to power turbines. The Philippines has good solar resources, especially in the sunbelt between 20 degrees north and south of the equator. While initial costs of solar power plants can be high, maintenance costs are low and they produce no air or water pollution or greenhouse gases during operation. Some impacts include resource use and pollution during manufacturing and potential effects on local ecosystems.

1. SOLAR POWER PLANT
• Process of operation of power plant
• Kind of energy sources and its availability
in the Philippines
• Comparative capital and maintenance
cost
• Efficiency
• Environmental effect while obtaining
energy source of operating the plant

2. SOLAR ENERGY
Traditionally, photovoltaic systems (PVs) are
used in remote areas. Examples of this are
wireless and cellular communication systems,
road sign lighting, call boxes, water pumping
and refrigeration. Solar water heaters are now
being used at hotels and commercial complexes
which where initially target for residentiial
areas of the country.
Harnessing energy on land through the use of
photovoltaic or solar cells is best for places
which are 20 degree S and 20 degree N of the
equator. We are within this area, so solar
energy is feasible. An experimental solar
powerplant with solar panels is found

3. PROCESS OF OPERATION OF POWER PLANT
Radiant energy (sunlight) generated electricity through

4. There are two ways we can produce electricity from
the sun:
Photovoltaic Electricity – This method uses
photovoltaic cells that absorb the direct sunlight just
like the solar cells you see on some calculators.
Solar-Thermal Electricity –
This also uses a solar collector: it has a mirrored
surface that reflects the sunlight onto a receiver that
heats up a liquid. This heated liquid is used to make
steam that produces electricity.

5. Photovoltaic solar plants work
like this:
As light hits the solar panels, the solar radiation is
converted into direct current electricity (DC). The
direct current flows from the panels and is
converted into alternating current (AC) used by
local electric utilities. Finally, the electricity travels
through transformers, and the voltage is boosted for
delivery onto the transmission lines so local electric
utilities can distribute the electricity to homes and
businesses.

6. Solar-Thermal plants work like
this:
Solar collectors capture and concentrate sunlight to
heat a synthetic oil called therminol, which then
heats water to create steam. The steam is piped to
an onsite turbine-generator to produce electricity,
which is then transmitted over power lines. On
cloudy days, the plant has a supplementary natural
gas boiler. The plant can burn natural gas to heat the
water, creating steam to generate electricity.

8. Kind of energy sources and its availability
in the Philippines

9. Solar Trough System
Trough systems predominate among today’s commercial
solar power plants. Trough systems convert the heat from
the sun into electricity. Because of their parabolic shape,
troughs can focus the sun at 30 to 60 times its normal
intensity on a receiver pipe located along the focal line of
the trough. Synthetic oil captures this heat as the oil
circulates through the pipe, reaching temperatures as high
as 390°C (735ºF). The hot oil is pumped to a generating
station and routed through a heat exchanger to produce
steam. Finally, electricity is produced in a conventional
steam turbine.

12. Comparative capital and maintenance cost

13. • Due to the poor part-load behaviour of solar thermal power, plants
should be installed in regions with a minimum of around 2000 full-load
hours. This is the case in regions with a direct normal irradiance of more
than 2000 kWh/m2 or a global irradiance of more than 1800 kWh/m2.
These irradiance values can be found in the earth’s sunbelt;
however, thermal storage can increase the number of full-load hours
significantly.
The specific system costs are between €2000/kW and €5000/kW
depending on the system size, system concept and storage size. Hence, a
50 MWe solar thermal power plant will cost €100–250 million. At very
good sites, today’s solar thermal power plants can generate electricity in
the range of €0.15/kWh, and series production could soon bring down
these
costs
below
€0.10/kWh.
The potential for solar thermal power plants is enormous: for
instance, about 1% of the area of the Sahara desert covered with solar
thermal power plants would theoretically be sufficient to meet the entire
global electricity demand. Therefore, solar thermal power systems will
hopefully play an important role in the world’s future electricity supply.

14. • A small home system can be installed for as little as
$25k dollars if you do the work yourself. Larger homes
and small companies would be proportionally more
expensive. Johnson Controls spent a million dollars to
provide some power for their lights in Milwaukee
recently. Power completely from solar is prohibitively
expensive in many cases. Rs. 6 Crore to Rs. 7 Crore per
MW It's possible to build them anywhere, but to get the
most power out of them you want to build them in a
place with reliable, sunny weather. Ideally, it should be
fairly close to a town or industry too, so that there's
something nearby to use up the energy. Otherwise,
you'll have to move the energy around first, which
means that some of it is lost in transit.

15. EFFICIENCY

16. Solar power from a concentrated solar power plant costs the same as electric
from a fossil fuel pant. if you install home photovoltaic solar panels, it will cost
up to $25,000. after installation, there is little maintenance and the panels will
last over 30 years. The cost of photovoltaic energy is obtained by adding
together investment costs (planning, photovoltaic system, inverter and/or
batteries,
other
auxiliary
equipments)
running
costs
(maintenance, technicians) and additional costs (taxes and insurance).
Generally, governments provide incentives, funding and various
concessions, which unfortunately sometimes come up against bureaucratic
obstacles. If we take as an example the most common systems, which use
modules in mono or polycrystalline silicon, with an efficiency of 12-14%, the
average cost in Italy is approximately 8000 Euros/kWpeak for small systems
(a few tens of kWpeak) and can cost as little as 5500 Euros for 1 MWpeak
systems. Modules built with a special technology can reach a 20% efficiency
with a corresponding increase in costs; modules in amorphous silicon, with a
6-8% efficiency, cost less. The cost of the photovoltaic kWh generated, plus
investment and maintenance costs, must also take into account the number of
kWh generated in a year, the lifetime of the system (usually estimated at 25
years), real interest costs, etc. In Italy, the final amount can vary between 0.3
and 0.5 Euros/kWh; the cost paid by the average private consumer to the
distributing company is around 0.15 Euros/kWh.

17. Environmental effect while obtaining
energy source of operating power plant.

18. Getting the energy we need affects our environment in many
different ways. Some energy sources have a greater impact than
others. Energy is lost to the environment during any energy
transformation, usually as heat. Notice the heat from your computer
or car after it has been in use for a while. Nothing is completely
energy efficient. Fortunately, the energy industry has become
increasingly aware of the importance of environmental protection
and is working to reduce its long-term impact.
Solar energy produces no air or water pollution or greenhouse gases.
However, it has some indirect impacts on the environment. For
example, the manufacturing of photovoltaic cells (PV) produces
some toxic materials and chemicals.
Ecosystems can also be affected by solar systems. Water from
underground wells may be required to clean concentrators and
receivers, and to cool the generator, which may harm the ecosystem
in dry climates.

19. • The environmental impact of using solar energy is negative at the
start with the cost of the materials and the cost of production of the
equipment. It balances out after a few years and the impact is then
positive. With solar hot water, it is the cost of the tank and the
evacuated tubes on your roof, and the small electric pump to
circulate the water. After that initial expense the only ongoing
impact is the small electric pump. The initial cost should be
recovered in two or three years, depending on your local price of
fuel and after that the environmental impact is positive. With solar
panels that generate electricity (PV, or photovoltaic cells), the cost
of the materials and the cost of production is the negative
environmental impact. Again after a few years that impact is
balanced out by the positive features of generating your own
electricity from the sun. A: Disadvantages: - When people are
producing solar panels they have leftover stuff like Silicon
Tetrachloride, and they have to dispose of it, which can pollute.

20. When creating solar panels the manufacturers have to use
energy, which pollutes the air, creates heavy metal emissions,
and greenhouse gases. Can't use solar energy during the night
Can't use solar energy when it is very dense and foggy outside
Advantages: Using solar panels doesn't pollute the air. Using
solar panels doesn't release carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide,
sulfur dioxide, or mercury into the atmosphere as many
traditional forms of electrical generation do. The solar panels
operate silently, have no moving parts, and don't release
offensive smells. Doesn't contribute to acid rain, global
warming, or smog. A: It provides power for our use while not
continuously using resources. This reduces the cost and effects
of obtaining fuel and transporting fuel, and once in place the
panels do not generate polluting material while functioning.