Simple Solar Energy

A Solar lantern is a simple application of solar photovoltaic technology, which has found good acceptance in rural regions where the power supply is irregular and scarce. Even in the urban areas, people would prefer a solar lantern as an alternative during power cuts because of its simple mechanism.
A solar lantern is made of three main components – the solar PV panel, the storage battery and the lamp. The operation is very simple. The solar energy is converted to electrical energy by the SPV panel and stored in a sealed maintenance-free battery for later use during the night hours. A single charge can operate the lamp for about 4-5 hours.
Besides the solar lantern, a solar cooker is also a simple application of solar photovoltaic technology. A solar cooker is like a hot box, in which we can cook our food without any cooking gas or kerosene, electricity, coal or wood. We donot need to spend even a single paise on fuel. The cooker works with the solar energy, which is available free.

In a solar cooker, we can boil, bake and roast and in a cooker for domestic use, we can cook food for four to five persons. Bigger size solar cookers are also available for cooking food upto 15 persons.
Solar street lighting system is designed for outdoor application in unelectrified remote rural areas. This is an ideal application for campus and village street lighting. The system is provided with battery storage backup sufficient to operate the light for 10-11 hours daily.

The system is provided with automatic ON/OFF time switch for dusk to dawn operation and overcharge / deep discharge prevention cut-off with LED indicators.

The SPV modules are having a service life of 15-20 years. Tubular batteries provided with the solar street lighting system require lower maintenance, have longer life and give better performance as compared to pasted plate batteries used earlier.
Home lighting systems are powered by solar energy using solar cells that convert solar energy (sunlight) directly to electricity. The electricity is stored in batteries and used for the purpose of lighting whenever required.

These syste4ms are useful in non-electrified rural areas and as reliable emergency lighting system for important domestic, commercial and industrial applications. The SPV systems have found important application in the dairy industry for lighting milk collection / chilling centres mostly located in rural areas.

Home Solar Energy

Food can be easily and conveniently cooked with solar energy as the fuel in devices called solar cookers or solar ovens.
Solar cookers are an ideal addition to any kitchen wherever there are predictable hours of sun many days of the year. Solar cooking and baking are easy. Solar cookers are safe around children and provide a great way to learn about and use solar energy.

Solar cookers are clean, convenient, non-polluting and easy on the environment. For millions of people living in arid, fuel-scarce regions of the world, solar cookers can literally save lives.
Solar energy has a variety of practical and cost-effective applications in today’s homes.

Solar pool heating systems heat pool water to extend the swimming season and eliminate pool heating costs. Solar hot water heaters can replace existing conventional water heaters and can easily be paired with radiant panel flooring, thereby reducing utility bills.

Photovoltaic cells are solar panels that have no moving parts, yet they convert sunlight directly into electricity to be used to satisfy all of a home’s electricity needs.
Domestic lighting represents a large portion of electricity consumed and contribute a disproportionately large amount to the evening system peak load.

Most existing households use incandescent lamps and low efficiency Fluorescent Tube Lights (FTLS) for home lighting. High efficiency lighting technologies such as a Compact Flurescent Lamps (CFL) and efficient FTLs (T-8 or T-5) are available in the market but have achieved a low level of penetration. Promotion of these technologies will contribute significantly to reduced energy consumption and peak loads.
The use of solar energy at domestic level would result in reduction in evening peak demand, reduction in deficit of electricity. Therefore, when we receive plenty of sunshine, home solar energy makes a lot of sense.

Therefore, in some countries which are receiving plenty of sunshine and where it never dips below receiving atleast 78 percent of the possible available hours of sunshine in a given month, home solar systems are installed in their residential building for making maximum and best use of solar energy.
In the years ahead, we can expect to see increased use of home solar energy and get rewarded the benefits therefrom. However, for this there has to be greater awareness to be created amongst the members of public.