In this article we will get to know about active solar energy examples and their detailed facts.
Before starting with active solar energy examples the basic concept of active solar energy should be cleared. The solar energy that is acquired and preserved by us for future references is known as active solar energy. Active solar energy enhances the amount of solar energy by using electrical and mechanical equipment.
7+ active solar energy examples and their detailed facts are written below:
- Thermal solar energy
- Domestic hot water systems
- Photovoltaic panels
- Solar thermal collectors
- Solar charge controllers
- Decrease in usage of fossil fuels
- Decrease in pollution level
There are three types of active solar energy based on its uses. They are:
Space heating systems
These types of active solar systems use liquids or gasses as their media. They usually use mechanical instruments to store the heat and disseminate it everywhere. Fans,pumps,blowers etc are used to collect,store and disseminate the heat where it is needed.
Water heating systems
These types of heating systems are used to heat water at our houses and after that they store and disseminate this heat to every place inside the houses. They are of two types- direct type and indirect type.
In the direct type systems in the collector the water gets heated directly and disseminated through the pipes whereas in the indirect type the fluid gets heated in the collector and stored in the tank and then after the exchange of heat between the fluid and the water,it is disseminated everywhere.
Pool heating systems
In these types of systems there is no need for tanks to store water there. Water from the pool usually gets collected in the collector,then gets heated and again goes back to the pool.
Thermal solar energy
This is one of the most important active solar energy examples. Radiation mode of heat is used to get solar thermal energy. Hot water that is used for domestic purposes can be obtained from this energy. Electricity can be produced from this energy in the power plants that are based on the solar concept.
Domestic hot water systems
Domestic hot water systems are used to heat water and distribute or circulate this hot water using pumps. Some domestic hot water systems use thermosiphons for their activity whereas others use pumps and other systems to work.
In domestic hot water systems that work on the principle of a thermosiphon, the difference of densities of cold and hot water helps the water to circulate everywhere. This is another of the most important active solar energy examples.
Photovoltaic panels
Initially solar cells were made up of silicon which is a semiconductor of heat and produces less electricity than a good conductor. So it gets doped with impurities so that it can be used to acquire solar energy directly from the sun and convert this energy to electric energy. In this way solar cells are transformed into photovoltaic panels.
In photovoltaic panels when a photon reaches the doped silicon surface it transfers its energy to the free electrons that are available on the surface. After gaining energy these electrons emit out which in turn create holes on the surface of the semiconductor.
When this semiconductor pn junction gets exposed to the light, photons that carry more energy than the bandgap energy of Si get absorbed that in turn create electron hole pairs. Electric fields affect these charge pairs and their motion causes the flow of electric current.
Solar thermal collectors
Solar thermal collectors are devices in which absorption of sunlight is the source of heat collection. These solar collectors can be used for decades without being damaged. So they are very advantageous and one of the most useful active solar energy examples.
There are two types of thermal collectors. One is a concentrating collector and the other is a non concentrating collector.
Concentrating collector
In the concentrating collector the area that receives radiation from the sun (aperture area) is much larger than the area that absorbs the radiation (absorption area). Here this aperture area acts as a mirror for the absorption area.
Non concentrating collector
In this type of a collector the aperture area remains the same as the absorption area. A dark color painted conductor plate is an example of this type where the area of absorption should be maximized to get maximum absorption of sunlight.
Solar charge controllers
Solar charge controllers are basically voltage regulators. They usually regulate the energy that is flowing in photovoltaic panels and transfer the energy to the batteries. They regulate the energy flow so that overcharging of a battery charger can not be done.
There are two types of controllers. One is Pulse Width Modulation controllers and the other is Maximum Power Point Tracker controllers.
Pulse Width Modulation controllers
There is a direct connection between photovoltaic panels and batteries in these kinds of controllers. A rapid switch that is basically a transistor is used here for the modulation of charging of a battery.
At first the transistor remains opened until absorption voltage is reached within the battery. After that it simultaneously opens and closes itself to regulate and maintain a constant voltage.
In this kind of a controller the output voltage of the photovoltaic panels is reduced to a great extent which in turn decreases its efficiency.
Maximum Power Point Tracker controllers
In this kind of a controller maximum power output can be achieved. Hence it is far more advantageous than the previous one. It does not reduce the voltage of photovoltaic panels. So the efficiency of the panels remains the same. It is basically a DC to DC converter. This is one of the most important active solar energy examples.
Solar panels usually don’t get a constant amount of solar energy throughout the day. So these kinds of controllers track the solar panels and find the sweet spot where the best combination of voltage and current can be obtained for getting maximum output power.
Decrease in usage of fossil fuels
Active solar energy is the best pocket friendly source which can completely eliminate the usage of electricity,propanes,oils etc.
Decrease in pollution level
If the usage of greenhouse gasses like methane,chlorofluorocarbons etc can be decreased and we start using active solar energy sources to generate electricity we will be able to decrease the level of pollution at a global level.
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Hi…I am Ankita Biswas. I have done my B.Sc in physics Honours and my M.Sc in Electronics. Currently, I am working as a Physics teacher in a Higher Secondary School. I am very enthusiastic about the high-energy physics field. I love to write complicated physics concepts in understandable and simple words.
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