Renewable Energy Sources

What is Renewable Energy?

Renewable resources are natural resources that can

be replenished in a short period of time.

A renewable resource is a natural resource that can

be re-made or re-grown at a scale comparable to its

consumption

Nonrenewable / Fossil Fuels

1. Coal
2. Liquid Hydrocarbons- Petroleum (oil)
3. Natural Gas

HOW ARE FOSSIL FUELS MADE ???

Coal, petroleum, and natural gas are considered

nonrenewable because they can not be replenished

in a short period of time

Why Renewable Energy?

Conventional fuels are having
high energy value, low cost, easily
transportable etc.,
But

Why Renewable Energy?

Problems with Fossil Fuels
Limited Supply- At projected consumption rates, natural
gas & petroleum will be depleted by the end of the 21st
century
Global Warming - Burning fossil fuels produces large
amounts of CO2, which is the main green house gas
Impurities are major source of pollution
For e.g.; SO2 travels on air currents & falls with
precipitation as acid rain
Makes one country rely on other countries for their
energy needs

RENEWABLE RESOURCES
Solar

Wind
Biomass
Water
Geothermal
OTEC
Tidal and Wave

Solar Energy

What is Solar Energy?

Energy produced by the sun

Clean, renewable source of energy
Harnessed by solar collection
methods such as solar cells, solar
Collectors etc.
Converted into usable energy such
as electricity, heat etc.

Photovoltaic (solar)
panel

Set of solar panels

Solar Energy Conversion

Systems
Solar Photovoltaic System PV Cell

Solar Energy
Electrical Energy
Solar Thermal Energy Conversion System
Solar Energy
Thermal Energy
OR
Solar Energy
Thermal Energy
Electrical Energy

Solar Photovoltaic System

NASA/NREL

Solar cells
Solar cells (or photocells) turn light energy from the Sun
directly into direct current electricity.
Once the solar cell is built it produces no pollution and
requires little maintenance.
This makes solar cells ideal
for use in remote locations
where maintenance is
difficult and other sources
of electricity would be
expensive.

Efficiency of a solar cell

Solar cells suffer from a low efficiency. This is because only
light with enough energy causes an electron to be released
which is only about 25% (maximum) of all sunlight.
Producing enough
electricity to power a
town would require a very
large area of solar panels
but covering the roof of a
house can meet the
annual electricity needs
of the household.

Photo voltaic Cell

n-type
semiconductor
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Depletion Zone
p-type
semiconductor

Photovoltaic System

Typical output of a module (~30 cells) is 15 V, with 1.5 A current

PV Technology Classification
Amorphous Silicon PV Cells
Efficiency is less around 5%
Makes 13% of PV market

Multi Crystalline PV Cells

Efficiency is less around 10 to 15%

Accounts for 90% of crystalline Si market

Mono Crystalline PV Cells

Operating efficiency 20 to 25%

Applications of PV

Water Pumping: PV powered pumping systems are excellent

,simple ,reliable life 20 yrs
Commercial Lighting: PV powered lighting systems are
reliable and low cost alternative. Security, billboard sign,
area, and outdoor lighting are all viable applications for PV
Consumer electronics:
Solar powered watches, calculators, and cameras etc.
Telecommunications
Residential Power: A residence located more than a mile
from the electric grid can install a PV system more
inexpensively than extending the electric grid
(Over 500,000 homes worldwide use PV power as their only
source of electricity)

Solar Thermal Energy

Conversion Systems
Passive System
Active system (Solar Thermal Collectors)

Solar Thermal Collectors

Non focussing Collectors (Flat plate collector)
Focussing Collectors
Line focussing
Point Focussing

Flat Plate Collector

Solar water heater

Thermal
storage

Steam power plant a recap

Line focussing- parabolic Collector

Warren Gretz/NREL

Warren Gretz/NREL

Point Focussing

Bill Timmerman/NREL

Point Focussing

Solar power stations use the energy from the sun to heat water
to make steam, which is then used to drive a turbine.

Some solar power

stations use a series of
mirrors called
heliostats to reflect
light onto a boiler.

Sandia National Laboratory/NREL

Other Solar devices

Solar Still
Solar Air Heater
Solar Water Pump
Solar Cooker
Solar dryer

Solar still

WIND ENERGY

Uneven heating of earths surface and rotation

Turbine Evolution
Used for
Pumping water
Grinding grain

Mainly used for

Generating Electricity

Types of turbines
VAWT Vertical Axis Wind Turbine
Drag is the main force
Nacelle is placed at the bottom
Yaw mechanism is not required
Lower starting torque
Difficulty in mounting the turbine
Unwanted fluctuations in the power output

HAWT Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine

Lift is the main force

Much lower cyclic stresses
95% of the existing turbines are
HAWTs

Nacelle is placed at the top of the tower

Yaw mechanism is required

Two types of HAWT

DOWNWIND
TURBINE

UPWIND TURBINE

A Typical HAWT

Offshore turbines
coastal development

Offshore turbines
More wind speeds
Less noise pollution
Less visual impact
Difficult to install and maintain
Energy losses due long distance transport

Disc type wind turbine

Much more efficient than HAWT
Requires less height
Low noise
Works in any wind direction

BIOMASS

Biomass Sources

Conversion of Biomass
Direct combustion
Thermo chemical
Gasification
Pyrolysis

Bio Chemical Conversion

Digestion
Fermentation

Solid Fuel Combustion

Biomass was the first fuel

mankind learned to use for

energy, Burning wood for warmth
and cooking
Direct combustion of solid matter
where the biomass is fed into a
furnace where it is burned. The
heat is used to boil water and the
energy in the steam is used to
turn turbines and generators.

Wood

Animal Dung

Gasification
A process that uses heat, pressure, and steam to convert
materials directly into a gas composed primarily of
carbon monoxide and hydrogen.

Gasification
Typical raw materials - coal, petroleum-based

materials, and organic materials.

The feedstock is prepared and fed, in either dry or

slurried form, into a sealed reactor chamber called a

gasifier.

The feedstock is subjected to high heat, pressure, and

either an oxygen-rich or oxygen-starved environment

within the gasifier.

Pyrolysis
Heat is used to chemically convert

biomass to
Gaseous
liquid and
solid fuels.

Biomass is heated to 500oC to 900 oC

in a closed vessel in the absence of

Oxygen
Pyrolysis can perform almost all form
of organic materials

Digestion

Decomposition of organic matter by anaerobic bacteria in an

oxygen-starved environment.

Anaerobic digesters compost (or digest)

organic waste in a machine that limits
access to oxygen encouraging the
generation of methane and carbon
dioxide by microbes in the waste. This
digester gas is then burned as fuel to
make electricity.

Digestion

Fermentation
Unlike other renewable energy sources, biomass

can be converted directly into liquid fuels biofuels for our transportation needs (cars, trucks,
buses, airplanes, and trains)

The two most common types of bio-fuels are

ethanol and bio-diesel

Ethanol An additive to gasoline

Bio-diesel - made by combining alcohol with

vegetable oil, animal fat etc.

Hydropower

Water power
Converts Potential
energy of water to
mechanical energy and
then to electrical energy
One of the main source
of energy after
conventional energy
In india, approximately
22% of energy is from
hydel power

Water
power

Water power- working of turbine

Water Turbines
Impulse Turbine (Pelton Wheel)
High Head, Low discharge
Mixed flow Reaction Turbine (Francis Turbine)
Medium Head, Medium discharge
Axial flow Reaction Turbine (Kaplan Turbine )
Low Head, High discharge

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Steam power plant a recap

Geothermal
The thermal energy
contained in the
interior of earth is
called Geothermal
Energy
Use heat to make steam
which rotatesturbine for
electrical generation

Geothermal Energy

Ocean Thermal Energy

Conversion (OTEC)

MAIN COMPONENTS OF AN OTEC

SYSTEM
The temperature at the top of sea and that at the

bottom of sea has a temperature difference of 20

degrees

A steam power cycle is operated between the top

surface (the source) and the bottom of the sea

(sink)

Working of OTEC plant

1. Open cycle

Water is the working fluid

Desalinated water can be produced

2. Closed cycle

Ammonia can be used as a working fluid

Tidal and Wave Energy

Wave Energy

Wave Energy Conversion

Wave Energy Conversion

Tidal Power
No dam, but a turbine alone
is needed for energy
conversion

Tidal Energy

Conclusions

Renewable energy resources are the only solution for a

sustainable world
Solar energy is clean energy which makes no pollution, no
harm to environment
In remote areas, the only solution for energy is solar power
Most of the Renewable energy resources are pollution free
and nature friendly
Solar, Biomass, Hydel and Wind energy has very good
potential and they are the fastest growing renewable energy
sources

Conclusions (contd..)
The future looks bright for Renewable energy because

technology is becoming more advanced and efficient

Initial Cost is high (Cost may not be a factor in many
occasion..!)
intermittent supply

Energy storage equipments are needed

Must be coupled with other sources of electricity

It is best suited if using as a hybrid energy source

Save energy, save earth

Thank you