_________________________ © Cactus Moon Education, LLC. Cactus Moon Education, LLC. CACTUS MOON EDUCATION, LLC ENERGY FROM THE SUN SOLAR ENERGY EDUCATION MODULE (SEN01PP)

_________________________ © Cactus Moon Education, LLC. Cactus Moon Education, LLC. INDEX Slide 1Title Slide Slide 2Index Slide 3 Solar Energy – Energy from the Sun Slide 4The Amount of Energy we get from the Sun Slide 5The Power from the Sun Slide 6The Solar Spectrum Slide 7Harvesting and Using Solar Energy Slide 8Harvesting the Most Solar Energy – Solar Tracking Slide 9Dual-Axis Tracking Slide 10Single-Axis Tracking Slide 11For more information….

_________________________ © Cactus Moon Education, LLC. Cactus Moon Education, LLC. The energy we get from our sun is the result of nuclear fusion reactions. Our sun is made up of hydrogen which is gradually being converted into helium. In fact…… Solar Energy – Energy from the Sun

1. Every second in our sun, 657 million tons of hydrogen are converted to 653 million tons of helium through the process of nuclear fusion. 2. The “missing” 4 million tons of mass are converted to heat and light energy through Einstein’s E=MC 2 equation. 3. The 4 million tons of “energy” are radiated out in all directions from the sun into space. 4. The earth collects a mere 4 lb of this energy. 5. But this is enough to support life on earth as we know it. _______________ ©CME - LLC

_________________________ © Cactus Moon Education, LLC. Cactus Moon Education, LLC. Power from the Sun The “fuel” we receive from the sun here in Arizona is approximately 100 Watts per square foot of surface area. Power and Energy: Energy = Power x Time The energy we receive from the sun is approximately 600 Watt Hours per square foot of surface area per day. If we could convert all the solar energy from one square foot into electricity we could power a 100 Watt light bulb for 6 hours.

_________________________ © Cactus Moon Education, LLC. Cactus Moon Education, LLC ,0001,4001,8002,2002,6003,000 Wavelength (nm) Power Density (W/m 2 ) Power Content of the Solar Spectrum Approximately ½ of the power in the solar spectrum lies in the visible light area. The remaining ½ is in the infra-red or “heat” area. VisibleInfra Red

_________________________ © Cactus Moon Education, LLC. Cactus Moon Education, LLC. Harvesting and Using Solar Energy Different technologies are used to take advantage of the energy in the different parts of the solar spectrum. Photovoltaic Technologies –The direct conversion of sunlight into electricity –Converts the energy in the visible part of the solar spectrum into electricity Solar Thermal Technologies –Use the energy in the “heat” part of the solar spectrum

_________________________ © Cactus Moon Education, LLC. Cactus Moon Education, LLC. Solar Tracking More energy can be collected from the sun if the solar collectors “track” the sun as it moves across the sky. Dual-Axis tracking systems will harvest the most solar energy. Single-Axis tracking systems are simpler to build and operate and work well in the Summer months

_________________________ © Cactus Moon Education, LLC. Cactus Moon Education, LLC. Dual-Axis Tracking In a Dual - Axis Tracking system the solar collectors are continuously moved in both horizontal and vertical directions so that they are always pointing directly towards the sun.

_________________________ © Cactus Moon Education, LLC. Cactus Moon Education, LLC. Single-Axis Tracking In a Single - Axis Tracking system, the solar collectors are typically rotated from East to West throughout the day as the sun moves across the sky. The most solar energy is collected when the solar collectors are aligned in a North-South direction. Aligning the collectors in an East-West direction produces a more uniform solar energy collection throughout the year.

_________________________ © Cactus Moon Education, LLC. Cactus Moon Education, LLC. For more information on Photovoltaic and Solar Thermal technologies please see: Energy from the Sun Solar Photovoltaic Technologies Education Module and Energy from the Sun Solar Thermal Technologies Education module