olar Power Neil Hulin Geography 101 VVC Fall 2011 Mon Wed 7:05
Solar Power
Neil HulinGeography 101
VVC Fall 2011 Mon Wed 7:05
What is Solar PowerRadiant (electromagnetic radiation)
energy from the sun that is converted into electricity.
The Suns radiation that we receive is mostly in the form of Ultra Violet, Infrared, and Visible light
The Geography Of Solar Power
InsolationAtmosphereInclination of
Earths AxisPlane of the
Ecliptic EquinoxSolsticeLatitudeAltitude
ClimateGPS/GISRemote sensingWindGlobal Warming
What Is Considered Solar Power?
Every form of power we know (besides Geothermal and Nuclear) is derived from Solar Power
Wind, Hydro, Oil, Coal and Biomass all come from processes originating from the Sun
Technically so do Nuclear and Geothermal power according to the Nebular Hypothesis
Types Of Solar Power
PhotovoltaicConverts sunlight
directly to electricity
Common in residential and commercial
Concentrated Solar PowerConverts sunlight
to thermal energyMost common in
commercial power plants
Photovoltaic
How Do Photovoltaic Cells Work?
Solar radiation knocks loose a negative electron from the negative layer of silicon
The electron travels through the wire to the light
Into the positive side of the cell
Through the one way barrier, back to the negative layer
How Does Concentrated Solar Power Work?
Focuses sunlight on a receiver
Receiver gets super heated
Water is introduced to make steam
Steam turns a turbine
Turbine turns a generator
Generator creates electricity
Concentrated Solar Power
Facts About Solar PowerIt takes about 8 minutes for sunlight to reach usThere is enough energy in one minute of sunlight
to provide a years worth of electricity to the worldEdmond Becquerel discovered PV effect in 1839Worldwide only 0.1% of power is from solarGermany leads the world in solar power usageChina has the largest photovoltaic power plantSpain has the largest CSP plant
Why Solar Power?It’s a clean renewable resourceThe only pollution comes from
manufacturing and transporting components
Low maintenanceIndependence from the gridPays for itself in the long run
Bibliography• Hess, D. (2011). McKnight’s Physical Geography: A landscape Appreciation 2nd
California Edition. Upper Saddle River : Prentice Hall.• Malone, T. (2011). Photovoltaic. Renewable energy . Victorville.• Quaschning, V. (2003, June). Retrieved from
http://www.volker-quaschning.de/articles/fundamentals2/index.php• Smith, Z. A., & Taylor, K. D. (2008). Renewable and Alternative Energy
Resources : A Reference Handbook. ABC-CLIO.• Unknown. (2009, December 16). How Solar Energy Works . Retrieved from
Union of Concerned Scientists: http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/technology_and_impacts/energy_technologies/how-solar-energy-works.html
• Unknown. (2010, May 26). Sol Focus> News events> press releases> 2010 05 26. Retrieved from sol Focus: http://www.solfocus.com/en/news-events/press-releases/2010-05-26.php
• Unknown. (n.d.). Solar Energy Information. Retrieved from National Geographic: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/solar-power-profile/