Solar Energy Resources

Energy Usage US95,000 kWh/person/year Japan 46,000 Germany57,000 France50,000 China 7,400 Brazil10,200 Mexico17,100 US accounts for 23% of world energy consumption with 5% of the population

Coal Nuclear Oil Gas Hydro Biomass Geothermal, wind solar, etc. RE Total ~400 Quadrillion Btu World Energy Use

Time Consuming Transition We cannot conceive of any affordable government-sponsored "crash program" to accelerate normal replacement schedules so as to incorporate higher energy efficiency technologies into the privately-owned transportation sector; significant improvements in energy efficiency will thus be inherently time-consuming (of the order of a decade or more). “PEAKING OF WORLD OIL PRODUCTION: IMPACTS, MITIGATION, & RISK MANAGEMENT” Hirsch, Bezdek, Wendling

Solar Energy How much energy from the sun actually reaches the Earth? 1350 Watts/square meter (at the surface of the atmosphere) 1000 Watts/square meter (at the surface of the earth)

Greenhouse Effect

Blackbody Radiation Low temperatures  Long wavelength radiation (40ºC  10,000 nm peak) High temperatures  Shorter wavelength radiation (6000 ºC  500 nm peak)

Greenhouse Effect

Flat Plate Collector From: National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Solar Water Heater

Solar Collectors

Solar Water Heat Use the principles of optics – focus the sunlight with a mirror. Water in tube reaches up to 570 o F

Cost of Electricity Generation (¢/kWh) Combined cycle gas turbine3 – 5 Coal4 – 5 Wind4 – 7 Biomass gasification7 – 9 Remote diesel generation20 – 40 Solar PV distributed20 – 50 Solar PV central station Nuclear Hydroelectric5 - 11

CO2 Emissions IAEA data

Photovoltaics Atoms - energy levels Solids - three types: a) insulators b) conductors c) semi-conductors Solar cell

Photovoltaic Prices