SLC21/WK5: Introduction to Basic Solar Power

Welcome to another electrifying day on my blog! In this post I will be exploring energy with solar electricity as part of my participation in the Steemit learning challenge season 21.

What is solar electricity?

Photovoltaic power, which is popularly known as solar electricity, is a type of renewable form of electrical energy which harnesses the power from the brightness of the sun, it uses the sun's ray generate electricity that is clean and also green for homes and offices.

[A] Share your knowledge about solar power with us by reading our lesson.

A photovoltaic power supply uses the brightness of the sun to function. The units on the solar panel called photovoltaic cells are used to convert sunlight into electrical energy. These solar panels are made from special semiconductor materials. materials that would very easily let go of some electrons when they are exposed to any bright light with strong intensity. The movement of the freed electrons flowing through the electrical circuit, generating electricity.

Working principles

• Most of the Light from the sun is captured by the solar panels.
• The photovoltaic cells in the solar panels converts the incoming sunlight into energy.
• The acquired energy helps the semiconducting materials in the panel to release electrons.
• All released electrons are guided to flow through an electrical circuit; the flow creates a current that could be used or stored to be used later, when the sun is down.
• Some systems have cells that store the power; others have devices that convert the power to a form that is more appropriate for devices.

[B.] Write three important differences between AC solar and DC solar systems. (as learnt from our lesson)

AC Solar	DC Solar
Requires an inverter to convert DC power to AC.	Uses the power directly without converting
AC solar is more expensive because it needs an inverter.	DC solar do not need inverter making it less expensive.
can be used with a lot of home appliances.	can only be used with a few DC-powered devices.
level of complexity is high	level of complexity is low in comparison

[C.] Calculate your home's electrical load and share it with us. Follow our lesson as an example.

Item	Qty	Unit	Total watt
Bosch Refrigerator	1	0.4Kwh	400
Samsung	1	0.49Kwh	490
32" Samsung TV	1	27w	27
Electric Bulb	6	60watt	360
Security Bulb	2	100watt	200
Rice Boiler	1	700w	700
Standing Fan	2	70watt	140
		Total	2,317watt

[D.] Prepare a DC solar project specification for a customer's home to use four 5-watt lamps and three 20-watt fans.

Item	Qty	Unit	Total watt
Electric Lamps	4	5-watt	20
Electric Fan	3	20-watt	60
		Total wattage	80

The total energy needed for this house is 80w.

Tolerance = 20% x 80 =16

80 + 16 = 96w approximately 100w

Specifications for a system that can run 48 hours on a 100w load

Specification for solar panel

Solar Panel
Type:	Monocrystalline
Power:	300W
Voltage:	24V
Current:	12.5A
---

Specification for charge controller

charge controller
Type:	MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking)
input Voltage:	150V - 250V DC
Output Voltage:	24V DC
Output Current:	40 - 60A
Efficiency:	95% or higher
---

Specification for battery

Battery
Type:	Lithium-Ion (LiFePO4)
Capacity:	250Ah
Voltage:	24V DC
Depth of Discharge:	50% or less
---

Operating with this specification, even at a load of 100w, the system will run 48 hours of uninterrupted power after a full charge

[E.] Prepare specifications for a customer's AC solar system to drive a water pump motor of 1 HP or 746 W and write the function of each device.

Here is a specification that can run this pump for 18 hours on one full charge.

Specification for solar panel array

Solar Panel
Quantity	5
Type:	Monocrystalline
Power:	1500W
Voltage:	24V
Current:	62.5A
---

Specification for charge controller

charge controller
Type:	MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking)
input Voltage:	150V - 250V DC
Output Voltage:	24V DC
Output Current:	40 - 60A
Efficiency:	95% or higher
---

Specification for inverter

Inverter
Type:	Pure sine wave Inverter
Power:	2000W
input Voltage:	24V DC
Output Current:	240V AC
Efficiency:	95% or higher
---

Specification for battery

Battery
Type:	Lithium-Ion (LiFePO4)
Capacity:	1200Ah
Voltage:	24V DC
Depth of Discharge:	50% or less
---

Thank you for this intresting lesson. I am so happey that I attepted it, now I know more about solar power, panels and batteries. Thanks to this lesson, I can now calculate some things, understand KvA and battery vh.