Challenges And Constraints Of Solar Energy Environmental Sciences Essay

Ch on the wholeenges And Constraints Of solar cogency Environmental Sciences EssayThe biggest contest that solar nil faces to twenty-four hours is the alternative conventional heftiness sources that atomic number 18 cheaper in terms of consumption measures (Rupees per KWh).Electricity generated from Solar zero is greetlier comp atomic number 18d to that produced from coal-fired ply demonstrates. political science and enterprises argon working on producing cheaper solar cadres to reduce cost of usage. Although the wrong of Solar Photovoltaic applied science has decreased in the last days, it is pipe down not a feasible solution for large scale baron times purposes. In India, the average cost of Photovoltaic modules is around Rs. 2 lc/KWh and the cost of electricity generation of electricity from Solar Photovoltaic and Solar thermal r come ine is in the range of Rs. 12 -20 per kWh and Rs. 10 15 per kWh respectively. The electricity produced this way is four-five times costlier from that produced from conventional sources. Advancement in technology is required to reduce this gap.The manufacturing process needs to be more than cost- strengthive since the Solar Photovoltaic conversion of electricity is a racy-technology process demanding high level of skills and expertise. Companies ar allocating special funds for research and development in the assiduity to encourage innovations to improve the process. Since the field is a relatively spic-and-span one with less(prenominal) knowledge in the field, new companies face take exceptions in coping up with the alive players in the field.India is suitably rigid to acquire sufficient sunlight all round the year. However there argon a few places which do not receive enough solar free cleverness throughout the year, which affects the cost of production. Areas which receive huge amounts of rainfall and atomic number 18 clouded for most parts of the year, automatically get ruled out as potential sites for Solar Energy generation.Another major challenge that solar energy faces is storage of the generated force. Electricity from Photovolatic kiosks cannot be generated during the night and during doubtful days and hence suitable measures develop to be adopted to insert the energy produced during the other times of the day. Another major disadvantage is that approach shot on a short term basis cannot be predicted. Since India is located near to the equator the incoming radiation fluctuate a little both year, it is however rough to predict the incoming radiations on a day to day basis. Apart of this there are seasonal variations which ca practise the show and demand to gravel out of phase. It is thus imperative that Solar Energy cannot be relied upon as the only source of electricity for potential uses manage space heating, till beseeming storage measures are invented. It is also difficult to store energy since it also increases the cost of production and installatio n. Only formerly this issue gets resolved can solar energy actually fence with other existent sources of energy.ENVIRONMENTAL COSTSDue to absence of proper g everyplacenment regulation ,local government and individuals are skeptical about the effect that setting up of big solar power plants will have on the individuals and environment. A large scale solar power plant typically requires approximately one square kilometer for every 20-60MW generated.altogether MATERIAL AND WASTE PRODUCTSSome of the materials ( like Cadmium) apply for producing Solar PV cells are barbarian and other raw materials like plastics used for the packaging of the cells are non-biodegradable, thereby impacting the environment. Although some of the waste generated during the manufacturing process is recyclable (silicon), not all other materials are recyclable and disposal of the same is a dispute process.AESTHETICS AND DESIGNAnother barrier to wider adoption of solar cell and solar module products and syste ms among commercial and residential consumers is aesthetics and design. Consumers have resisted solar products for aesthetic reasons. Established solar products are heavy, rigid, fragile and non-modular. Solar cell and solar module creaters can improve aesthetics by developing products that can be more attractively integrated into building structures, and that are lighter, flexible and modular and hence more feasible.Growth in next tense and driving factors hard Solar Vs Photovoltaic SolarSolar energy utilization technologies can be broadly classified into two categories asConcentrated Solar TechnologyPhotovoltaic Solar TechnologyIn Concentrated Solar Technology the solar energy converts heat liquids into steam, which is so used to drive turbines to produce electricity, heating and cooling purposes, providing hot pee etc. In PV Solar, solar panels are used to produce electricity. The Concentrated Solar technology provides a good alternative to PV solar, one that is less expens ive and more versatile.Benefits of concentrated solar technology areIt uses existing resources like generators, piping and mirrors. Due to which the production cost are oftentimes lower than PV solarIn producing solar energy no hazardous materials are used. Thus it is free from production hassles that could arise due to future government laws or policies.It can also store the heat that is generated during the day, and use it at a later time when the electricity is needed. Storing heat is more more efficient than most forms of storing electricity, and does not require expensive equipment or large tracks of region.Due to the aforementioned benefits Concentrated Solar Technology is before long a more sought after method. But the potential for PV Solar Technology is high and is be worked over across all countries. organization incentivesMajor percentage of the solar energy production has been backed by the government world over. Few of the government incentives in the following s hip canal areFIT (mainly in europe)Direct Subsidy on panelsrenewable Portfolio Standards (RPS, in US)ITC (Investment tax credits, in US)Some of the goals with respect to solar energy of different countries driven by government initiatives areTheEuropean matrimonyhas linked goals to get 20% of its energy from clean sources by 2012.Chinas renewable Energy Law aims to raise the total percentage of renewable energy used in the country to 15% by 2020.The U.S. Stimulus bloom of February of 2009 include $60 billion in loan guarantees for companies building solar and wind plants with the goal of doubling renewable energy production from 2009 to 2012.In June of 2008, Germany approved a law cutting its solar subsidies by 10%. Further, under the law subsidies will fall another 8%-10% all(prenominal) year for the next three years.The Spanish Government cut its solar subsidies by 30%.renewable energy demandShifts in renewable energy demand are a major driver for the solar market. Two major dr ivers of this shift are climate changeand visor oil.Climate Change With more people than ever being aware(p) of global warming and its potential effects, and fear of the repercussions of a carbon-based energy shunning is driving consumer demand for alternatives like solar. With increasing number of people being aware of global warming and its harmful effects, rising fear caused due to carbon based energy production, the demand for alternative energy resources are in demand. The number of awareness campaigns to promote the use of alternative resources has increase tremendously over the past few years and will gallop to rise in the future. Wind and Solar energy are the first-year potential step taken into consideration.Peak Oil and Energy freedom The ever rising oil prices and the scarcity of finding the mines and oil militia are a growing concern. It is predicted that the oil resources will dwindle to much(prenominal) an extent that the growth of any country will be a stand still if measures are not taken today to curtail the dependence. Furthermore, a large part of the world oil supply can be found in politically turbulent countries with OPEC having dominant control over world oil supply (and, therefore, prices), many countries desire energy alternatives in order to break dependence on geopolitically unstable nations.Technology and te SupplySilicon was previously used extensively by the semiconductor unit industry. But, with the advent of solar power and its rapid growth the demand for them has change magnitude exponentially, resulting in an under-supply of silicon unable to meet the current demand. Thus the higher prices in silicon mean higher production cost for solar companies and lower margins. For a sustainable growth and control in costs of production in the future the demand-supply equilibrium must be in check.In recent years the technical cash advances in the field of solar power has been rapid and tremendous. Everyone across the value cha in, manufacturers and suppliers are working towards producing more solar energy out of the existing solar equipment. Advancements have included increasing cell energy efficiency, utilize thinner wafers, and increasing generating power in low-light (generation of energy even on a cloudy day). The advancement in two new manufacturing processes namely string-ribbon technology and thin-film technology, designed to drastically reduce thesiliconrequired to make PV cells, could dramatically decrease the cost of new PV cells.The use of a new nanotechnology based approach using Tetrapod Quantum Dots (TQ-Dots) is being considered. It is an economical alternative to replace the silicon wafer based solar cells with flexible TQ-Dot solar cells and has the advantage of generating electricity from UV and infrared wavelengths allowing generation 24/7.Government RegulationAs the solar industry continues to grow at 25% per annum, the government is faced with the challenge to regulate the industry to allow for equitable dissemination of the industry benefits. The kernel Ministry has set up a separate Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources later renamed as Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. The government is trying hard to bring India to the number 1 level by introducing grid based incentives and providing concession at various levels of manufacturing and distribution in its recent reckon 2010-11.Effect on the Environment there is an ongoing debate on how Concentrated Solar Plants especially inare touching the environment. There is a concern how the use of vast amounts of public land for Solar Energy development will affect local inhabitants. topical anaesthetic Government and Environmental bodies have raised concern for reliable restrictive measures to be setup to understand the affect on the operations of such large plants on the environment. It is expected that the government will frame certain(prenominal) special energy zones, where concentrated solar plants w ill be setup.Permitting The abide fees to set up Solar Plants varies in different areas in the countries, which causes variations in the setup price causing a dilemma in the minds of prospective investors.The cost of Solar Installation in a city varies from Rs.15,000 to Rs. 50,000.Many countries that used to face such issues are now migrating to a uniform appropriate fees system to encourage investment in this field.Regulating Solar Energy Providers As part of JNNSM, government has dedicated NTPC VidyutVyapar Nigam, for the leveraging of Solar Energy by independent solar plants, the prices of which are fixed by the primaeval Regulatory Electricity Commission for a given period of time.The power distribution companies will purchase the power generated from these plants at the prices set by the regulator.They would also follow the below mentioned normsCERC has announced tariff of Rs. 18.44 per unit for solar PV power and Rs. 13.45 per unit for solar thermal power for 25 yearsZero or concessional affair to be applied on event of some specific itemsZero Excise obligation on manufacture of many solar energy devices within the countryNTPC VVN will purchase solar power for a period of 25 years at fixed tariff announced by CERCCERC will review the costs every year and fix tariff accordingly for new projects.Union Budget 2010-11 Government has announced an allocation of $10bn for the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. The budget also provides incentives to private solar companies by reducing customs duty on solar panel by 5% and exempting excise duty on photovoltaic panels.