1 Alternative Energy Sources Delivered to: Bill Pyke Hilbre Consulting Limited October 2012 Harnessing Solar Power

2 Outline Solar thermal Concentrated Solar power (CSP) Solar Heating/ Cooling Solar-PV Photovoltaics 0.1% electricity generation in % by 2050??

3 Solar 1.2 x 10 5 TW at Earth surface 600 TW practical 0.005% of incident energy! Solar Energy to Earth’s Surface

4 Solar Thermal Ideally suited to areas with clear, sunny climate for most of the year- Spain, Southern France, North Africa Direct heating of fluid. Fluid heated to C Passes through heat exchanger to generate steam Steam runs turbine to generate electricity Surplus heat energy stored in salt solution to be used if dark or overcast

5 Economies of Scale:- Upscaling Large Solar? An Extreme Scenario 0.15% of global landmass in an equatorial location (220,000km 2 ) covered with solar panels could provide all the global annual energy demand! When prices fall below 4c/kWh delivered price it will be in a competitive zone versus fossil fuel.

6 Desertec 15% of Europe’s energy by 2050? Price tag $400bn Politics?

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8 October 2012 Solar Thermal Power Generating Plant Solar Thermal Power Generating Plant

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10 Solar Farms The world's biggest solar farm, where more than 400,000 mirrors cover four square miles (10.3 square kilometres) of California's Mojave desert, was built in the 1980s and still churns out 354 megawatts of electricity, enough for 90,000 homes.

11 Global Growth of Solar Energy BP Statistical Review, 2010

12 Photovoltaics The photovoltaic process converts sunlight directly into electricity Sun emits photons (light), which generate electricity when they strike a photovoltaic cell Solar cells are made of silicon consisting of two or more thin layers of semi conducting material When sunlight strikes the solar cell, electrons are knocked loose and move toward the treated front surface of the solar cell. Electron imbalance between the front and back of the cell and causes electricity to flow – the greater the intensity of light, the greater the flow of electricity.

13 Photovoltaic Microgeneration Photovoltaics (PVs) are not generally cost-effective in U.K. at present. 6 panels of solar PVs on a typical new three-bedroom house could reduce that household's carbon emissions by over 20% Solar PV panels don't need direct sunlight to work as electricity is generated from daylight. So if it’s cloudy, the power output may be slightly lower but nonetheless it will still be there This technology could supply almost 4% of UK electricity demands Reduce domestic sector CO 2 emissions by up to 3%.

14 Solar-Powered Trains 6 th June 2011 High-speed international trains linking Paris and Amsterdam as of Monday became the first in Europe to use electricity generated by solar panels installed in a tunnel on the line Cost of € 15.6 million 3.6-kilometre tunnel crossing Antwerp, fitted with 16,000 solar panels covering 50,000 square metres 3,300 megawatts per hour

15 Solar Costs, Prices Solar radiation energy provides 7,000 times total annual global energy needs Solar Radiation provides 2,895x10 27 joules/year Global Energy consumption 400x joules/year 500MW Solar Thermal Power Station $3bn. Photovoltaic (PV) cells are 3 times more effective in producing electrical energy than in the 1970s Prices of PV cells now 1/40 th of 1970s price