From Sunlight to Electricity

Title: From Sunlight to Electricity – A Practical Handbook on Solar Photovoltaic Applications

Author: Suneel Deambi

Publisher: TERI, 2015 (First published 2003)

ISBN: 9788179935736

Pages: 158

We are living in a world that is threatened by heat death in the not so distant future. The carbon dioxide emission caused by our energy-generating devices is slowly heating up the planet. Even if it is argued that the heating is in fact caused by the earth’s mega-climatic cycles, there is no denying that mankind is actively contributing its part to make the state of things very serious indeed. Renewable energy sources are the only way to a sustainable future. Contrary to popular perceptions, it is the conventional sources of energy that are outlandish and the green energy sources are situated right in our own backyards. The availability of coal or crude oil is limited to specific geographical regions which need to be transported to load centres, while sunlight is all around us! The sun is the primary source of energy of all living beings on earth. Man has been using the heat output of solar radiation from very old times, but the actual observation of generating electricity from sunlight was made by Edmond Becquerel in 1839. Several cells were made thereafter and it was Einstein in 1905 who explained the internal mechanism of generating power inside a solar cell. The twenty-first century is all set to be an era of photovoltaics (PV), or the technology by which electrical power is generated from sunlight. The UN has declared the interval from 2014 to 2024 as the Decade of Sustainable Energy for All. This book is a good beginning tool for information on understanding the technology, its operating principles, system design considerations, component engineering and assembly and maintenance and costing of complete systems. Suneel Deambi is a solar energy specialist with a practical experience of about 25 years in the Renewable Energy sector. He has published three books on allied topics.

Solar PV has progressed much from its humble beginning as the power source to the radio transmitter aboard satellite Vanguard I in 1958. The transmitter was powered by two batteries, one of them solar. It is a testimony to the sturdiness of solar cells that the conventional battery lasted only for twenty days while the solar battery went on for six years. Progress has been steady thereafter and the world had an installed capacity of 139 GW in 2013. It jumped to 303 GW just three years later. The high cost of components discouraged potential investors in the initial stages but with new research on improving the efficiency of panels and economy of scale, it has come down to affordable levels. A solar module now costs only one per cent of what it used to cost 35 years ago. The rapid spread of solar penetration follows Moore’s law. The current price of the system is around Rs. 32 to 53 per watt. As the technology is reaching saturation, the price reduction rate is now falling. Governments are encouraging people to tide over financial concerns by offering accelerated depreciation of up to eighty per cent of the cost and giving subsidy of thirty per cent for small investors. The book gives the reasons for price variability between manufacturers.

This book is essentially a handbook for home and small industry users by providing typical specifications and ratings for applications such as pumping and lighting. It also lists the financial institutions, testing centres and regulatory commissions in various Indian states that cater to diverse needs of the solar entrepreneur. A good discussion on the installation and maintenance of PV systems is given in the narrative. However, the author’s suggestion to use a digital multimeter to measure the current in the circuit is not advisable or safe, especially if novices are involved. Clamp-on meters are now available at a reasonable cost that can be used for direct current (dc) as well. The book discusses about free and paid software for simulating the solar system. HOMER and RETScreen are free software, while PVSyst is the best commercial alternative.

The chapter on International Solar Programs appears to have been copied from web resources and dated. No information later than 2012 is seen. There are many repetitions and the chapter on ‘Installation and Maintenance of PV systems’ duplicates all the introductory material given earlier. There are disturbing contradictions too. Deambi claims that an individual solar cell generates 0.5 – 0.6 V on page 11, but changes it to 1.1 V on page 87. The former seems to be correct. Some of the illustrative figures mentioned in the text are not included on account of editorial oversight. There are errors in the title numbers of IEC standards applicable to solar technology. No useful information on state-of-the-art grid-connected panels is given, but basic requirements like lighting and water pumping are accorded great coverage. Overall, the book is attuned more towards utility for undergraduate students in preparing notes and assignments on solar energy.

The book is recommended.

Rating: 2 Star