Mini Project Report On

SOLAR LIGHTING SYSTEM

Submitted By

RAMAKRISHNA RAGHUTU
Roll No. M080147EE
M.Tech in Electrical Engineering
(Power Systems)

Department of Electrical Engineering

National Institute of Technology, Calicut
Kerala 673601
Winter 2008-09
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that this Report entitled “SOLAR LIGHTING SYSTEM” is a

bonafide record of the seminar presented by RAMAKRISHNA RAGHUTU,
bearing Roll No. M080147EE, during Winter 2008-09, in partial fulfillment of the
requirement for the award of M.Tech degree in Electrical Engineering (Power
Systems) by the National Institute of Technology Calicut.

Faculty in charge Head of Dept.of Electrical Engg.

Dr.R.Sreeram Kumar Dr. Paul Joseph K
Course coordinator Dept. of Electrical Engg
Dept. of Electrical Engg

Place:
Date
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost I thank God Almighty. His blessings were with me
throughout my preparation.

I am grateful to Dr. Paul Joseph K, Professor and Head of the Department

of Electrical Engineering, for providing me the best facilities for the completion
and presentation of my seminar.

I express my sincere gratitude to my Dr. R Sreeram Kumar, Professor,

Department of Electrical Engineering, for his guidance and co-operation his
valuable suggestions.

I thank all the other teaching and technical staff of Electrical Engineering
Department, for their valuable help. I also extend my gratitude to my parents,
friends and to all those whom I have failed to mention for their patience and
constant support.

Ramakrishna Raghutu
 CONTENTS

ABSTRACT i

LIST OF FIGURES ii
1.0 INTRODUCTION 1

2.0 CIRCUIT DISCRIPTION 5

3.0 WORKING OF THE CIRCUIT 7

4.0 USED COMPONENTS 8

4.1 STEP DOWN SINGLE PHASE TRANSFORMER 8

4.2 BRIDGE RECTIFIER 10

4.3 IC7808 12

4.4 LEAD-ACID BATTERY 15

4.5 RELAY 17

5.0 OTHER IMPORTANT USED COMPONENTS 19

5.1 SOLAR CELL 19

5.2 HOW DO PHOTOVOLTAICS WORK 21

5.3 SOLAR COLLECTOR 23

6.0 APPLICATIONS 27

7.0 CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORK 28

8.0 REFERENCES 29
 ABSTRACT

The world cannot continue to rely for long on fossil fuels for its energy requirements. Fossil fuel

reserves are limited. In addition, when burnt, these add to global warming, air pollution and acid

rain. So solar photovoltaic systems are ideal for providing independent electrical power and

lighting in isolated rural areas that are far away from the power grid. These systems are

nonpolluting, don't deplete the natural resources and are cheap in the long run. The aim of this

project is to demonstrate how we can utilize solar light to electrify the remote areas, i.e., how we

can store the solar energy and then use it for small-scale lighting applications
 LIST OF FIGURES

Fig.N0. Title Page No

Fig 2.0 Solar Lighting System Circuit diagram 5

Fig 4.0 Ideal step-down transformer 10

Fig 4.1 Diode bridge rectifier 11

Fig 4.2 Diode bridge rectifier with capacitor 12

Fig 4.3 Block Diagram of IC 7808 13

Fig 4.4 Output Voltage characteristics of IC7808 14

Fig 4.5 Output Current Characteristics IC 7808 14

Fig 4.6 Font view of IC7808 14

Fig 4.7 Physical view of IC 7808 14

Fig 4.8 Physical View of Lead acid Battery 16

Fig 4.9 Cross Sectional View of Relay 17

Fig 5.0 Photo Voltaic Cell 21

Fig 5.1 Photovoltaic Module 22

Fig 5.2 Parabolic Trough 25

Fig 5.3 Power Tower 26

Fig 5.4 Solar Pyramids 26

 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

1.1 WHY DO WE NEED ALTERNATIVES?

Fossil fuels are not, for all practical purposes, renewable. At current rates, the world uses
fossil fuels 100,000 times faster than they can form. The demand for them will far outstrip their
availability in a matter of centuries-or less. And although technology has made extracting fossil
fuels easier and more cost effective in some cases than ever before, such is not always the case.
As we deplete the more easily accessible oil reserves, new ones must be found and tapped into.
This means locating oil rigs much farther offshore or in less accessible regions; burrowing
deeper and deeper into the earth to reach coal seams or scraping off ever more layers of precious
topsoil; and entering into uncertain agreements with countries and cartels with whom it may not
be in our best political interests to forge such commitments. Finally, there are human and
environmental costs involved in the reliance on fossil fuels. Drilling for oil, tunneling into
coalmines, transporting volatile liquids and explosive gases-all these can and have led to tragic
accidents resulting in the destruction of acres of ocean, shoreline and land, killing humans as
well as wildlife and plant life. Even when properly extracted and handled, fossil fuels take a toll
on the atmosphere, as the combustion processes release many pollutants, including sulfur
dioxide-a major component in acid rain. When another common emission, carbon dioxide, is
released into the atmosphere, it contributes to the "greenhouse effect," in which the atmosphere
captures and reflects back the energy radiating from the earth's surface rather than allowing it to
escape back into space. Scientists agree that this has led to global warming, an incremental rise
in average temperatures beyond those that could be predicted from patterns of the past. This
affects everything from weather patterns to the stability of the polar ice caps
1.2 WHAT IS SOLAR ENERGY
Solar energy is the radiant light and heat from the Sun that has been harnessed by humans
since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation along with
secondary solar resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass account
for most of the available renewable energy on Earth. Only a minuscule fraction of the available
solar energy is used.

Solar power provides electrical generation by means of heat engines or photovoltaic.

Once converted its uses are only limited by human ingenuity. A partial list of solar applications
includes space heating and cooling through solar architecture, potable water via distillation and
disinfection, day lighting, hot water, thermal energy for cooking, and high temperature process
heat for industrial purposes.

Solar technologies are broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solar
depending on the way they capture, convert and distribute sunlight. Active solar techniques
include the use of photovoltaic panels, solar thermal collectors, with electrical or mechanical
equipment, to convert sunlight into useful outputs. Passive solar techniques include orienting a
building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light dispersing
properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air

Solar panel farms are a lot like other normal power plants with the only big difference
being that most power plants get their energy from fossil fuels. And when conventional plants
burn fossil fuels, they generate the by products which are contributing to global warming. Solar
panel farms or solar heat plants (or CSP plants) absorb the rays of the sun to generate electrical
energy

This process of energy conversion in solar heat plants rather simple. The panels absorb
the rays of the sun, which then shines on the power receiver. In this receiver, the energy is
converted into steam from the suns rays. The steam is taken to tanks where it will be used to spin
turbines and generate electricity. The process is clean because it requires no fossil fuels to be
burned. It is safe for the environment and doesn't contribute to global warming like conventional
power plants.
ENERGY FROM THE SUN
The Earth receives 174 pet watts (PW) of incoming solar radiation (insulations) at the
upper atmosphere. Approximately 30% is reflected back to space while the rest is absorbed by
clouds, oceans and landmasses. The spectrum of solar light at the Earth's surface is mostly spread
across the visible and near-infrared ranges with a small part in the near-ultraviolet.

Earth's land surface, oceans and atmosphere absorb solar radiation, and this raises their
temperature. Warm air containing evaporated water from the oceans rises, causing atmospheric
circulation or convection. When the air reaches a high altitude, where the temperature is low,
water vapor condenses into clouds, which rain onto the Earth's surface, completing the water
cycle. The latent heat of water condensation amplifies convection, producing atmospheric
phenomena such as wind, cyclones and anti-cyclones. Sunlight absorbed by the oceans and land
masses keeps the surface at an average temperature of 14 °C.By photosynthesis green plants
convert solar energy into chemical energy, which produces food, wood and the biomass from
which fossil fuels are derived

The total solar energy absorbed by Earth's atmosphere, oceans and land masses is
approximately 3,850,000 exajoules (EJ) per year. In 2002, this was more energy in one hour than
the world used in one year. Photosynthesis captures approximately 3,000 EJ per year in biomass.
The amount of solar energy reaching the surface of the planet is so vast that in one year it is
about twice as much as will ever be obtained from all of the Earth's non-renewable resources of
coal, oil, natural gas, and mined uranium combined.

From the table of resources it would appear that solar, wind or biomass would be
sufficient to supply all of our energy needs, however, the increased use of biomass has had a
negative effect on global warming and dramatically increased food prices by diverting forests
and crops into biofuel production. As intermittent resources, solar and wind raise other issues

Our planet receives enough raw energy in the form of sunlight in sixty minutes to
illuminate all of the worlds lights for a full year. Unfortunately, a very small part of it can be
harnessed so most of the population still gets most of its energy from power plants that burn
fossil fuels. Fortunately for our environment, we have recently seen an increasing trend in the
demand for solar energy. This is partly due to the fact that solar panels are becoming cheaper as
technology advances

At the equator, the Sun provides approximately 1000 watts of energy per square meter on the
earth’s surface. That means that 1 square meter of each panel can generate approximately 100
GW of raw power per year. That amount of power is enough to illuminate more than 50,000
houses. The entire area that would need to be covered by solar panels to power the entire world
for a year would be the equivalent to one percent of the entire space of the Sahara Desert. The
amount of power solar panels can generate on a given day depends on a few variables like smog,
cloudy days, low temperatures and humidity