Engineering Photovoltaic Systems II Application Flexibility of Solar

Engineering Photovoltaic Systems II Application Flexibility of Solar Electricity Engineering Photovoltaic Systems Original Presentation by J. M. Pearce, 2006 Email: profpearce@gmail. com

Outline Part II • Distributed Energy Source – Roof Retrofits – BIPV – Tiles, Shingles – Facades – Parking and Sound Barriers • Centralized PV • PV Systems for Transportation – Cars, Boats, and Bikes Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 2

Photovoltaic Cells as Distributed Energy Source • Located near the consumer in order to eliminate transmission losses (which can be higher than 50% on some antiquated grids). • Panels can be placed on roofs, built into roofs, building facades, carports, highway sound barriers, etc. • Any surface which is exposed to sunlight is fair game. Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 3

Roof Retrofits • This house on right is modular construction and includes 6 k. W of PV modules. • Below retrofits to schools Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 4

Building Integrated Photovoltaics or BIPV The design and integration of PV technology into the building envelope, usually replacing conventional building materials: Solar modules come in a variety of shapes, colors, sizes and can be integrated into any type of architecture. • Advantages – Aesthetics – Reduce the cost of the system (e. g. roof, awning, etc. ) Engineering Photovoltaic Systems • • • vertical facades, replacing view glass, spandrel glass, or other facade material; into semitransparent skylight systems; into roofing systems, replacing traditional roofing materials; into shading "eyebrows" over windows; or other building envelope systems. 5

Residential Rooftops • Specifically designed for PV. • This energy efficient home in Oxford generates more electricity than it uses. – Surplus electricity is sold to the local utility company and to power an electric car Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 6

Roofing Tiles and Shingles • The PV shingle shown here won Popular Science Magazine's grand award for What's new in Environmental Technology. • PV shingles can replace common roofing shingles. • PV shingles look much like ordinary roofing shingles, but they generate electricity. • They were laid out and nailed to the roof using the same methods as are used to lay conventional shingles. • Like their non-PV counterparts, these shingles overlap providing for water shedding capability. Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 7

Relaxing on Solar Shingles • Bill Ball, president of the Stellar Sun Shop in Little Rock, Arkansas, is clearly comfortable with PV shingles on the rooftop of his shop. The flexible shingles, rated at 17 watts each, are manufactured by United Solar Systems Corp. Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 8

Peal and Stick Solar Cells • Thin film amorphous silicon solar cells which can be deposited on plastic or steel (right) are extremely versatile • The panels on the right can be stuck directly to standard standing seam metal roofs Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 9

Standing-Seam PV • Buildings with standing-seam metal roofs can use solar module material referred to as "thin films" that can be rolled out inside the standing seams. Roof-integrated PV panels were installed on the south-facing roof of the Big. Horn Home Improvement Center in Silverthorne, Colorado. Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 10

Semi-Transparent Solar PV These panels have amorphous silicon deposited on glass and are semi-transparent – they can be used both as tinted glass but also as a project screen backdrop. Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 11

Putting it all Together The Boston Edison “Impact 2000” home incorporated – a 4 -k. Wp utilityconnected photovoltaic array in the original construction – all electric appliances, – solar electric water heating, and – both passive and active space heating. Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 12

Commercial Rooftops Large rooftops are ideal locations for PV Power. Guard sloped tiles, 150 Wp per tile, shown on customer's roof Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 13

PV at Lowe's • Lowe’s executives determined that clean, reliable distributed solar generation offers many benefits both to its retail operations and to the surrounding community. • Lowe’s is extremely committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while promoting and selling energy efficient home improvement products. • Lowe’s sought a costeffective solution to reduce the operating costs associated with providing reliable electricity supply at its West Hills store. Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 14

Could Wal-Mart be far behind? • Wal-Mart Mc. Kinney Location: TX Operator: Wal-Mart Configuration: 59 k. Wp PV Operation: 2005 System supplier: RWE Schott • This pilot installation for Wal-Mart has 5, 500 sqft of crystalline and thin film PV in five separate locations. Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 15

Solar Powered Hotels • Hawaii’s Mauna Lani Bay Hotel • This sprawling hotel had acres of roof space, making it the perfect host for a photovoltaic system. • They installed a Power. Guard (R) system of insulating PV roofing tiles that covers 10, 000 ft 2 and generates 75 k. Ws. • The hotel will be spared hundreds and thousands of dollars in utility bills. Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 16

4 Times Square - BIPV • The building’s most advanced feature is the photovoltaic skin, a system that uses thin-film PV panels to replace traditional glass cladding material. • The PV curtain wall extends from the 35 th to the 48 th floor on the south and east walls of the building, making it a highly visible part of the midtown New York skyline. Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 17

Solar Skylights and Cladding Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 18

PV Facades • Scheidegger Building with photovoltaic facade near Bern in Switzerland. Courtesy of Atlantis Solar Systeme AG • Austria • Swtizerland Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 19

Building Facades Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 20

Building Facades • 73 k. W system and generates ~ 55 000 k. W-hrs of electricity per year in Sunderland, UK. • This 3500 m 2 solar office building at the Doxford International Business Park near Sunderland in the UK incorporates 646 m 2 of photovoltaic modules. Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 21

Facades • Solar cells can be made in different colors • Glass façades on office buildings, winter gardens or sunroofs on automobiles will become energy suppliers with the transparent solar cell. • The use of the transparent, dark blue solar cells allows a beautiful play of light and shadow. • The standard product lets a tenth of the light pass through and has a 10 % efficiency rate. Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 22

Solar Cube The 20 k. W cube stands 135 feet tall on top of the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 23

Solar Olympics • The 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta featured a very unique PV system. • The Natatorium (swimming and diving facility) that houses a large PV array for powering the facility also features a canopy system at the entrance to the building. • The modules were made especially for the swimming facility with a clear backing to allow light to pass through. Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 24

Solar PV as Shading Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 25

Centralized PV Prescott Airport Location: AZ Operator: Arizona Public Service Configuration: 1, 450 k. Wp SGS Solar Location: AZ Operator: Tucson Electric Power Co Configuration: 3, 200 k. Wp Engineering Photovoltaic Systems

Pros and Cons of Centralized PV • Advantages – Economy of scale – Single location for maintenance – You can put a fence around it • Disadvantages – All eggs in one basket – natural/terrorist disaster – Transmission losses – Land cost Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 27

Rem: Distributed vs Centralized Hysperia PV Power Station. Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 28

Solar Concentrators • These 20 -k. W Solar Systems dishes dwarf visitors in Alice Springs, Australia. • The concentrators use an array of mirrors to focus sunlight onto highefficiency solar cells. • Four supports hold the cells in front of the mirrors • The supports also supply cooling water and electrical connections Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 29

Centralized Wind-Solar Hybrid System • In hybrid energy systems more than a single source of energy supplies the electricity. • Wind and Solar compliment one another Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 30

Hybrid PV-Diesel Systems • Unique to the project is the introductio n of a new generation of hybrid power processing equipment. • This new 115 k. W PV/hybrid energy system Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 31

Art and PV • Located among the rolling hills of Northern California, these solar electric sunflowers elegantly combine art and technology. • Each sunflower produces 1 k. W of solar electricity and consists of four 240 Wp polycrystalline PV modules custom made with yellow back-skins and yellow frames. • The custom PV modules are attached to a two-axis-tracking mechanism and mounted on custom-painted green poles producing a field of 36 k. W solar electric sunflowers. • The sunflowers wake up each day and follow the sun's path from sunrise to sunset, increasing solar harvest over a fixed array by 25%. • This system produces enough energy for approximately eight to ten homes and was an ideal engineering solution for the steep hillside site. Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 32

PV Systems for Transportation • PV will be most applicable to transportation if it can be stored –Batteries – Electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen Engineering Photovoltaic Systems

Solar Car Racing • Car #195, Cal State University/Long Beach, at the start line of Sunrayce 1995 Sunrayce is a biennial solar-powered car race for colleges and universities in North America. Students design, build and then race their car 1, 250 km from Indianapolis, IN, to Colo. Springs, CO. Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 34

Can Cars be Solar Powered? • From July 15 th to the 25 th, 2001, 2300 miles of solar “raycing” challenged teams from around the world. • High tech and high efficiency solar cars crossed the Great Plains, climbed the Rocky Mountains, and dashed over the Great American Desert to the finish line in Southern California Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 35

More Solar Cars • This solar powered race car was built in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by students at Drexel University during the 1989 -1990 school year. • Car #43, University of Missouri/ Columbia, on the road in Sunrayce 1995 Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 36

PV Covered Parking Electric or hybrid electric vehicles can recharge their batteries at PV power stations such as this one at the University of S. Florida. Covered parking in California provides shading and makes electricity Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 37

PV Integrated into Highway Sound Barriers • Solar Panels on Sound Barriers • This solar power, in proposed system, could give EVs essentially unlimited range on freeways that supply in-transit power. • Highway sound barrier above planted slope, with integrated PV panels, in Austria. • An upcoming project in Holland will use PVs, installed on railway right-ofway, to power an entire electric rail system. Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 38

Solar Powered Bikes and Gold Carts! • These golf carts are powered by photovoltaic modules from Shell Solar Engineering Photovoltaic Systems Team #2, from Green Mountain High School in Lakewood, CO won the women's division of the solar bike race 39

Solar Electric for Boats 300 -watt system powers onboard communications and lighting, an application that has been in use for 15 years Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 40

Solar Boats • On board, the solar modules create a fascinating play of light, shadow, and transparency. • The largest solar boat in the world began operating on the Alster River in Hamburg on May 23, 2000. • This boat can hold up to 120 passengers for excursions and charter tours The boat can hold up to 120 passengers for excursions and charter tours. The "Alster Sun" reaches a speed of 5 kmph just from solar power. If it has to go faster, the rest of the energy comes from batteries. Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 41

Solar Powered Fun! • Catamaran “Sol 10”: direct current powering from 550 to 1600 watts. • No drivers license needed, unsinkable, and easy to use. Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 42

Solar Photovoltaics is the Future Engineering Photovoltaic Systems

Acknowledgements • This is the third in a series of presentations created for the solar energy community to assist in the dissemination of information about solar photovoltaics. • This work was supported from a grant from the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. • The author would like to acknowledge assistance in collecting information for this presentation from Heather Zielonka. Engineering Photovoltaic Systems 44