Question

Solar energy is an alternative to fossil fuels for providing electrical power for both homes and businesses. It may be locally produced and used at the same location as the panels, which reduces distribution costs. Large facilities may be located in available space and the power added to the "grid" that distributes electricity. Solar power may be a better choice in rural or undeveloped areas where the grid infrastructure is unreliable or just not there, and it has been discussed as an alternative for reconstruction in storm-damaged Puerto Rico. It is also useful in less sunny areas, and here in Kentucky the regional power provider is developing a shared solar energy farm to supplement its conventional power plants. Even the Coal Museum in eastern Kentucky has solar panels to provide building power.

1. The Sun provides approximately 1.4 kilowatts (kW) of energy adding all the light striking one square meter perpendicular to a line to the Sun above the Earth's atmosphere. If solar panels are 25% efficient in converting this optical energy to electrical energy, and if they are oriented to make maximum use of incident sunlight, how much panel area is needed to develop 10% of the regional power production which is 3.5 gigawatts (GW) while the Sun shines? (3.5 GW is 3,500 MW. Currently LG&E has a 10 MW solar farm covering 50 acres.)

2. A typical single solar panel that would be installed on a home uses crystalline silicon as the material that creates the current, measures 1x2 meters, and produces 340 watts at 48 volts. It is said to be 17% efficient, allowing that not all the sunlight at the top of the atmosphere reaches the surface, and that some wavelengths are beyond the range over which silicon responds. How many of these panels would be needed to supply 15 kW that would fulfill the peak needs of a typical home? What area of the roof would they cover? This is for peak use, but typically the average power needs are about 5 kW.

3. If it is sunny 8 hours a day, then you would need 3X as many panels and a way to store energy to use them 24/7, but storage also allows you have fewer panels to meet peak needs. Allowing that the panels gather enough energy during 8 hours to provide power for that time and for 16 more hours, how much energy has to be stored? Consider two alternatives: pumped water and Tesla batteries. If you could pump water to a height of 20 meters, say to a pond or pool up the hill from your home, how much water by volume would have to be moved to store this energy . (Use the potential energy of gravity, mgh, to figure this out. ) For batteries, consider the Tesla "Powerwall", a module that stores 13.5 kWh of energy and provides 7 kW peak AC power.

4. Given what you know about the physics of solar, comment on the viability of it as a sole source of power for your home, and your rechargeable electric car. If you have a clever way of storing energy, mention it here too.

Answer 1

I hope this is helpful. Feel free to ask if you have any doubts.