Sun is an enormous and inexhaustible source of energy. Using various solar technologies available today, one quarter of the world's energy requirements can be quenched. Solar energy is therefore one of the best sources of alternate energy today. Solar energy is the most abundant source of energy which can be used to meet our electricity requirements. Through solar photovoltaic (SPV) cells, solar radiation gets converted into DC electricity directly. This electricity can either be used directly or can be stored using storage systems. This stored electrical energy can then be used when required even at night.
When an aerogenerator and an SPV system are interfaced, the power generation from these is mutually supplemented and the resultant hybrid system offers a reliable and cost-effective electric supply. The wind-solar hybrid system mainly consists of one or two aerogenerators along with SPV panels of suitable capacity connected with charge controllers, inverters and batteries to supply AC power. Therefore by using energy storage system we can store and use the combined energy generated from the sun and wind.
Solar Water Heater (SWH) is the conversion of sunlighrt into renewable energy for water heatingf using a solar thermal collector.Solar water heating systems comprise various technologies that are used worldwide increasingly.
Solar DC water pumps are gaining popularity in agriculture, irrigation and also for domestic purposes. Solar power generated from solar modules is fed directly to the pump through a controller. The pump starts pumping water when the sun starts shining and gradually starts pumping more as it rises.
Solar street lights powered by LED or CFL saves electricity and provide an aesthetic appearance. These lights receive power from solar modules and store it in batteries. The automatic dusk to dawn control system operators the on-off of these lights. These lights are ideal for industries, institutions and the gated communities.
In developing countries the solar lantern is a cheap alternative to a Solar Home based Systems providing 6-8 hours of high quality lighting. It provides higher quality light than the use of candles or kerosene lamps and also save pollution. These are also used to provide street lighting in rural and tribal areas. In this case Light Emitting Diode (LED) are used in solar lanterns. In some places solar lanterns are usually used outdoors to provide lighting in the garden, driveway, beautification purposes and in other outdoor activities such as marine or camping applications. Solar LED lighting is also used for studying by the under privileged childred and where there is no or very less power cuts.
LED lamps are easy to install into existing socket. Use less electricity for the same light output - 85% less electricity when compared to conventional lighting and around 18% less electricity compared to CFL. The maintenance cost of these are also lesser and the life of these are longer. There are decorative lights coming up with these LED's along with the utility bulbs. Many countries are encouraging to user these by providing certain benefits to the users. Typically LED lamps have a lifetime of 25,000 hours – that is over 22 years if used for 3 hours per day. These are environment friendly and disposing does not create much hazards
