Types of solar energy use. Examples of the use of solar energy in the national economy. Smart glass for windows invented in Sweden

Energy from the sun is used as a source of both electrical and thermal energy. It is environmentally friendly, and no harmful emissions are generated during its transformation. This relatively new way of generating electricity developed rapidly in the mid-2000s, when EU countries began to implement policies to reduce dependence on hydrocarbons for electricity production. Another goal was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It was during these years that the cost of producing solar panels began to decline, and their efficiency began to increase.

The most favorable, in terms of the length of daylight hours and the flow of sunlight throughout the year, are tropical and subtropical climatic zones. In temperate latitudes, the summer season is most favorable, and as for the equatorial zone, cloudiness in the middle of daylight hours is a negative factor in it.

It can be carried out through an intermediate thermal process or directly - through. Photovoltaic power plants supply electricity directly to the network, or serve as a source of autonomous power supply for the consumer. Thermal solar stations are mainly used to obtain thermal energy by heating various heat carriers, such as water and air.

As of 2011, all solar power plants in the world produced 61.2 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, which corresponds to 0.28% of the world's total electricity generated. This volume is comparable to half of the electricity generation rate at hydroelectric power plants in Russia. Most of the power of photovoltaic plants in the world is concentrated in a small number of countries: in 2012, 7 leading countries had 80% of the total capacity. The industry was most rapidly developing in Europe, where 68% of the world's installed capacity was concentrated. Germany is in first place, which (2012) accounts for about 33% of the world's capacity, followed by Italy, Spain and France.

In 2012, the installed capacity of solar photovoltaic plants worldwide amounted to 100.1 GW, which is less than 2% of the total indicator for the global power industry. In the period from 2007 to 2012, this volume increased 10 times.

In China, the USA and Japan, solar energy capacities were located at 7-10 GW. Over the past few years, solar energy has been developing especially rapidly in China, where the total capacity of the country's photovoltaic plants has increased 10 times in 2 years - from 0.8 GW in 2010 to 8.3 GW in 2012. Now Japan and China account for 50% of the global solar energy market. China's intention is to receive 35 GW of electricity from solar installations in 2015. This is driven by ever-growing energy needs, as well as the need to fight for a cleaner environment, which suffers from the burning of fossil fuels.

According to forecasts of the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association, by 2030 the total capacity of solar power plants in Japan will reach 100 GW.

India plans to increase, in the medium term, the capacity of solar installations by 10 times, that is, from 2 GW to 20 GW. The cost of solar energy in India has already reached the level of $ 100 per megawatt, which is comparable to the energy obtained in the country from imported coal or gas.

Only 30 percent of sub-Saharan Africa has access to. Autonomous solar installations and micro-grids are being developed there. Africa, as a region with a powerful mining industry, in this way expects to obtain an alternative to diesel power plants, as well as a reliable backup source for unreliable power grids.

In Russia, the period of the formation of solar energy is now underway. The first photovoltaic station with a capacity of 100 kW, located on the territory of the Belgorod region, was launched in 2010. Solar polycrystalline panels for it were purchased at the Ryazan plant of cermet devices. In the Republic of Altai, construction of a 5MW solar power plant began in 2014. Other possible projects in this area are being considered, including in the Primorsky and Stavropol Territories, as well as in the Chelyabinsk Region.

As for solar thermal energy, according to the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century, in 2012, its global installed capacity was 255 GW. Most of this heating capacity is in China. In the structure of such capacities, the main role is played by stations aimed directly at heating water and air.

Life on the planet is impossible without energy. The physical law of conservation of energy says that energy cannot arise from nothing and does not disappear without a trace. It can be obtained from natural resources such as coal, natural gas or uranium, and converted into forms that are convenient for us, such as heat or light. In the world around us, we can find various forms of energy storage, but the most important for a person is the energy that the sun's rays give - solar energy.

Solar energy refers to renewable energy sources, that is, it is restored without human intervention, in a natural way. It is one of the environmentally friendly energy sources that does not pollute the environment. Application possibilities solar energy are practically unlimited and scientists around the world are working on developing systems that expand the possibilities of use solar energy.

One square meter of the Sun emits 62,900 kW of energy. This roughly corresponds to the power of 1 million electric lamps. Such a figure is impressive - the Sun gives the Earth 80 thousand billion kWh every second, that is, several times more than all power plants in the world. The challenge facing modern science is to learn to use the energy of the Sun most fully and effectively, as the safest. Scientists believe that the widespread use solar energy Is the future of humanity.

The world's reserves of discovered deposits of coal and gas, at such rates of their use as today, should be depleted in the next 100 years. It is estimated that the reserves of fossil fuels in yet unexplored deposits would be sufficient for 2-3 centuries. But at the same time, our descendants would be deprived of these energy carriers, and the products of their combustion would cause colossal damage to the environment.

Atomic energy has a huge potential. However, the Chernobyl accident in April 1986 showed what serious consequences the use of nuclear energy can entail. The public around the world has recognized that the use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes is economically justified, but the strictest safety measures should be observed when using it.

Therefore, the cleanest, safest source of energy is the Sun!

Solar energy can be converted into useful energy through the use of active and passive solar energy systems.

Passive solar energy systems.

The most primitive way of passive use solar energy Is a dark colored water container. Dark color, accumulating solar energy, turns it into heat - the water heats up.

However, there are more progressive methods of passive use. solar energy... Construction technologies have been developed that make the most of the design of buildings, taking into account climatic conditions, and selecting building materials. solar energy for heating or cooling, lighting of buildings. With such a design, the building structure itself is a collector that accumulates solar energy.

So, in 100 AD Pliny the Younger built a small house in northern Italy. In one of the rooms the windows are made of mica. It turned out that this room was warmer than the others and required less firewood to heat it. In this case, mica served as an insulator that retains heat.

Modern building structures take into account the geographical location of buildings. Thus, a large number of south-facing windows are provided in the northern regions to receive more sunlight and heat, and the number of windows on the east and west side is limited to limit the intake of sunlight in summer. In such buildings, window orientation and location, thermal load and thermal insulation form a single design system during design.

Such buildings are environmentally friendly, energy independent and comfortable. There is a lot of natural light in the rooms, the connection with nature is more fully felt, besides, electricity is significantly saved. Heat in such buildings is retained thanks to the selected heat-insulating materials for walls, ceilings and floors. These first "solar" buildings gained immense popularity in America after World War II. Subsequently, due to the decline in oil prices, interest in the design of such buildings faded somewhat. However, now, due to the global environmental crisis, there is an increase in attention to environmental projects with renewable energy systems has increased again.

Active solar energy systems

At the heart of active systems of use solar energy solar collectors are used. Collector absorbing solar energy, converts it into heat, which heats buildings through a coolant, heats water, can convert it into electrical energy, etc. Solar collectors can be used in all processes in industry, agriculture, household needs where heat is used.

Types of collectors

This is the simplest type of solar collector. Its design is extremely simple and resembles the effect of an ordinary greenhouse, which is found in any summer cottage. Do a little experiment. On a sunny winter day, put any object on the windowsill so that the sun's rays fall on it and after a while, put your palm on it. You will feel that the item has become warm. And outside the window maybe - 20! This is the principle behind the work of a solar air collector.

The main element of the collector is a heat-insulated plate made of any material that conducts heat well. The plate is dark colored. The sun's rays pass through the transparent surface, heat the plate, and then transfer the heat into the room with a stream of air. The air is passed through by natural convention or by a fan, which improves heat transfer.

However, the disadvantage of this system is that it requires additional costs for the fan. These collectors work during daylight hours, therefore they cannot replace the main heating source. However, if the collector is installed in the main source of heating or ventilation, its efficiency increases disproportionately. Solar air collectors can also be used for desalination of sea water, which reduces its cost to 40 euro cents per cubic meter.

Solar collectors can be flat or vacuum.

The collector consists of a solar energy absorbing element, a coating (glass with a reduced metal content), a pipeline and a thermal insulating layer. The transparent coating protects the case from adverse climatic conditions. Inside the housing, the solar energy absorber (absorber) panel is connected to a coolant that circulates through the pipes. The pipeline can be either lattice or serpentine. The coolant moves along them from the inlet to the outlet, gradually heating up. The absorber panel is made of metal that conducts heat well (aluminum, copper).

The collector captures heat, converting it into heat energy. Such collectors can be installed in the roof or located on the roof of the building, or they can be placed separately. This will give the site a modern look.

Vacuum solar collector

Vacuum collectors can be used all year round. The main element of the collectors are vacuum tubes. Each of them consists of two glass tubes. The pipes are made of borosilicate glass, and the inner is coated with a special coating that absorbs heat with minimal reflection. Air is pumped out of the space between the tubes. A barium getter is used to maintain the vacuum. In good condition, the vacuum tube is silvery. If it looks white it means the vacuum has disappeared and the tube needs to be replaced.

The vacuum collector consists of a set of vacuum tubes (10-30) and transfers heat to the storage tank through an anti-freeze liquid (heat carrier). The efficiency of vacuum collectors is high:

- in cloudy weather, because vacuum tubes can absorb the energy of infrared rays that pass through clouds

- can work at subzero temperatures.

Solar panels.

A solar battery is a set of modules that receive and convert solar energy, including thermal ones. But this term has traditionally been assigned to phytoelectric converters. Therefore, when we say "solar battery" we mean a phytoelectric device that converts solar energy into electrical energy.

Solar panels are capable of generating electrical energy continuously or storing it for further use. For the first time, photovoltaic batteries were used in space satellites.

The advantage of solar panels is maximum design simplicity, simple installation, minimum maintenance requirements, and a long service life. Installation does not require additional space. The only condition is not to shade them for a long time and remove dust from the work surface. Modern solar panels are capable of maintaining efficiency for decades! It is difficult to find a system that is so safe, effective and so long lasting! They generate energy throughout the day, even in cloudy weather.

Solar panels have their drawbacks in application:

- sensitivity to dirt. (If the battery is positioned at a 45 degree angle, it will be cleaned by rain or snow, thus no additional maintenance is required)

- sensitivity to high temperature. (Yes, when heated to 100 - 125 degrees, the solar battery may even turn off and a cooling system may be required. The ventilation system will consume a small fraction of the energy generated by the battery. Modern solar panels are equipped with a hot air exhaust system.)

- high price. (Taking into account the long service life of solar panels, it will not only recoup the costs of purchasing it, but also save money on electricity consumption, save tons of traditional fuels, while being environmentally friendly)

The use of solar energy systems in construction.

In modern architecture, it is increasingly planned to build houses with built-in rechargeable solar energy sources. Solar panels are installed on the roofs of buildings or on special supports. These buildings use a quiet, reliable and safe source of energy - the Sun. Solar energy is used for lighting, space heating, air cooling, ventilation, and electricity generation.

We present several innovative architectural projects using solar systems.

The use of solar energy systems in the world.

Systems of use solar energy perfect and environmentally friendly. All over the world they are in great demand. All over the world, people are beginning to abandon the use of traditional fuels due to the rise in gas and oil prices. So, in Germany in 2004. 47% of homes had solar collectors for heating water.

In many countries of the world, state programs for the development of the use of solar energy... In Germany, this is the program "100,000 solar roofs", in the United States a similar program "Million solar roofs". In 1996. architects from Germany, Austria, Great Britain, Greece and other countries have developed a European Charter on solar energy in construction and architecture. In Asia, China is leading, where, on the basis of modern technologies, solar collector systems are being introduced into the construction of buildings and the use of solar energy in industry.

A fact that says a lot: one of the conditions for joining the European Union is an increase in the share of alternative sources in the country's energy system. In 2000. there were 60 million square kilometers of solar collectors in the world, by 2010 the area had increased to 300 million square kilometers.

Experts point out that the systems market solar energy on the territory of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus is just being formed. Solar systems have never been produced on a large scale, because raw materials were so cheap that expensive equipment for solar systems was not in demand ... Collectors production in Russia, for example, has been almost completely stopped.

In connection with the rise in prices for traditional energy sources, there has been a revival of interest in the use of solar systems. In a number of regions of these countries, experiencing a shortage of energy resources, local programs for the use of heliosystems are being adopted, but solar systems are practically not familiar to the wide consumer market.

The main reason for the slow development of the market for the sale and use of solar systems is, firstly, their high initial cost, and secondly, the lack of information about the capabilities of solar systems, advanced technologies for their use, about the developers and manufacturers of solar systems. All this cannot make it possible to correctly assess the effectiveness of the use of systems operating on solar energy.

It should be borne in mind that a solar collector is not a final product. To obtain the final product - heat, electricity, hot water - it is necessary to go from design, installation to the launch of solar systems. The limited experience of using solar collectors shows that this work is not more difficult than installing traditional heating, but the economic efficiency is much higher.

In Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, there are many firms engaged in the design and installation of heating equipment, but traditional energy sources have priority today. Development of economic processes, world experience in using systems solar energy shows that the future belongs to alternative energy sources. For the near future, it can be noted that solar systems are a new, practically unoccupied position in our market.

Solar energy - this is light, heat and life on our planet, and also solar energy is the main alternative source, which is several orders of magnitude higher than the entire existing energy potential of the Earth, and it is able to fully meet all its energy needs.

As the Sun is an endless source of heat and light (conventionally), the energy of solar radiation has been supporting life on Earth for more than one million years. The Sun has the ability to provide all vital processes due to its composition. In percentage terms, it mainly consists of two elements: hydrogen (73%) and helium (25%). More details about the formation and life cycle of the Sun can be found, for example, in Wikipedia.

The thermonuclear fusion reactions that take place in the sun burn hydrogen, converting it into helium. The colossal energy of the sun's rays released during such processes is radiated into space. By the way, scientists are trying to repeat these reactions on earth (reaction of controlled thermonuclear fusion, international TOKAMAK project).

All organisms that use the energy of sunlight provide their vital processes with it - sunlight is necessary for the initial stage of the photosynthesis process. With its participation, the synthesis of substances such as oxygen and hydrocarbons occurs.

The amount of hydrogen in the sun is gradually decreasing and sooner or later the time will come when its supply in the sun will be exhausted. However, due to the large amount of hydrogen, this will not happen, at least for the next 5 billion years.

Every second in the core of the Sun about 4 million tons of matter are converted into radiant energy, resulting in the generation of solar radiation and a stream of solar neutrinos.

The main influx of energy from the Sun that reaches the Earth's atmosphere is in the spectral range of 0.1-4 microns. In the range 0.3 1.5-2 microns, the Earth's atmosphere is almost transparent to solar radiation. Ultraviolet waves (wavelength shorter than 0.3 microns) are absorbed by the ozone layer, which is located at altitudes of 20-60 km. X-rays and gamma rays hardly reach the Earth's surface.

The concentration of solar energy is characterized by a value of 1367 W / m 2, called the solar constant. It is such a flow that passes through a perpendicular area of \u200b\u200b1 m 2 if it is placed at the entrance to the upper layer of the Earth's atmosphere. When this flow reaches sea level, energy losses reduce it to 1000 W / m2 at the equator. But the change of day and night reduces it by another 3 times. For temperate latitudes, taking into account the winter period, it is half of the quantitative indicator of the maximum flow at the equator.

Averaged over time and over the Earth's surface, this flux is 341 W / m 2. Calculated for the full surface, or 1.74x10 17 W calculated for the full surface of the Earth. Thus, the Earth on the surface will receive 4.176x10 15 kWh of energy per day, most of which is returned to space in the form of radiation.

According to the IEA for 2015, global energy production was 19,099 Mtoe (the equivalent of a megaton of oil). In terms of the usual kilowatt hours, this figure will be 6.07x10 11 kWh per day.

The sun gives the earth 8,000 times more energy than is necessary for all of humanity. It is obvious that the prospects for using this type of energy are very wide. With its participation, wind power is developing (wind occurs due to temperature differences), photovoltaic converters are used and pumped storage plants are being built. There is widespread use of solar panels.

The potential for solar energy applications is very high.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Solar Energy

Benefits of using solar energy have led to the fact that today we see its use in a variety of human activities.

The main advantages are:

• The inexhaustible energy of the sun in the next 4 billion years;
• The availability of this type of energy - it is with it that farmers, owners of private houses, and giant factories work with it safely and efficiently;
• Free and ecological cleanliness of the generated energy;
• Prospects for the development of this energy source, which is becoming more and more relevant due to the rise in prices for other types of energy;
• Because the number of equipment put into operation annually and its reliability is growing, the cost of the generated kilowatt hour of solar energy is decreasing.

The conditional disadvantages of solar energy include:

• The main disadvantage of solar energy is the direct dependence of the amount of light and heat received on the influence of factors such as weather, season or day. The logical consequence in this case is the need to store energy, which increases the cost of the system;
• For the production of equipment items for this purpose, rare and, therefore, expensive items are used.

Prospects for the development of solar energy

Today, technologies that use the energy of sunlight are increasingly being used. The most common are solar panels. Photovoltaic cells are successfully installed in various types of transport - from electric vehicles to airplanes. The Japanese practice installing them on trains.

With a successful operation, one of the European solar power plants provides all the needs of the Vatican. The largest solar-powered plant in California (photos give an idea of \u200b\u200bthe scale) is already providing the state with its round-the-clock work.

The introduction of such technologies is facing resistance from the leaders of the hydrocarbon industry - after all, alternative energy sources may soon oust their representatives from the leading positions.

If we talk about direct conversion, then the most widespread are such solar energy conversion devices as heat pipes (solar collectors) and solar photovoltaic cells.

Solar plant economics

When considering the possibility of installing a solar power plant, the main focus is on environmental and economic aspects. They sound like this:

1. What is the cost of a solar installation?
2. What is the payback period?
3. Will the unit generate enough electricity?

It is advisable to consider small power plants with a capacity of up to 50 kW. Installations of higher power are used mainly at industrial facilities.

Will a home solar power plant generate enough electricity?

To answer the third question, before starting the design of the solar installation, it determines the energy consumption profile of the house. It can be recorded by installing an electricity meter at the facility with the function of saving the current parameters: mains voltage, current consumption, current power consumption, frequency. After a month, you can evaluate your consumption profile with average, maximum and minimum parameter values.

If there is no such device, then the energy consumption profile can be estimated as follows: you will need to record all the devices that can be used in the house and simulate the possible options for their daily use. Then, armed with a calculator, you can calculate your daily electricity consumption and peak power values.

The region where the building is located plays a significant role. The energy reaching the Earth's surface, depending on the region, can vary from more than 5 kWh / m2 / day to 1.5 kWh / m2 / day or less.

If the maximum consumption is during daylight hours, then to ensure the sufficiency of the generated electricity, you need to divide the maximum power consumption by the power of one solar panel. The type and characteristics of the panels are known from the manufacturers catalogs. It should be borne in mind that the characteristics of solar panels are given at their maximum illumination - a correction for the regional coefficient is required. The winter period when the batteries are covered with snow is not counted.

This calculation does not take into account the following feature: During the day, the installation will always generate excess energy, and at night, for obvious reasons, the generation will be equal to 0.

Batteries on the one hand increase the total cost of the system, on the other hand they can reduce the number of solar panels by storing energy during periods of less power consumption.

To calculate the battery bank, you need to answer the following questions:

• Is the system supposed to be completely autonomous?
• If the system is not autonomous, then what is the maximum possible period of interruptions in the power supply.

The maximum consumption in kWh is multiplied by the number of hours without the main source (it must be borne in mind that at the time the sun is turned off it may not be). Based on this data, you can calculate the capacity of the battery bank. Discharging the battery to 0 reduces their service life, therefore, the coefficient of the maximum discharge indicator is introduced into the calculation, for example, it can be 50, 40 or 30%. The lower the maximum discharge rate, the more battery will be required.

Solar Generation Installation Cost

The main components of the system equipment are distributed by cost in the following percentage ratio (conditionally):

• Inverter and control system - 15-40%;
• Solar panels and MPPT controllers - 20-40%;
• Bank AKB - 30%.

The cost of solar panels and batteries will be identical for the systems of all manufacturers, there are significant differences only in the cost of the inverter equipment with a control system and an MPPT controller.

The price difference reaches over 200%, depending on the manufacturer. This is due not only to the "brand", but also to the capabilities of the system, for example, ease of control, the ability to remotely access, maximum load and resistance to 2x-3x overloads, the ability to partially disconnect the load, etc.

Each final technical solution will be slightly different from the others due to the fact that all people use different household appliances at different times of the day. There is no ideal combination of equipment, even for a given power.

As an approximate cost of a functional solar installation in a country house, taking into account the reservation of part of the capacity, one can roughly focus on the figures of 700-1800 USD / kW, depending on the equipment manufacturer.

Payback period of the solar generation installation

If the owners conditionally go to the dacha only for the weekend, and at the same time there are no consumers in the house who work every day, then, most likely, the system will pay off for at least 10-15 years, at current electricity tariffs.

With permanent residence, the payback period will be reduced to 6-10 years.

The positive side of the coin is that the owner of such a house receives a stable source of power supply and does not depend on power line breaks or power drops. Everyone is sitting without light, and you are with light, security systems are functioning, there is no need to manually open the garage, etc.

It can be assumed that the development of private electric transport will shorten the payback period of a solar installation for households. The owner of such a car will "refuel" it from his own roof for free.

The payback period depends on the completeness of electricity use. If the structure uses 100% of the generation and is connected to the central power supply network, then in general there is no need to install a battery bank. The estimated full payback period for such an installation will be 3-5 years, and even less in hot regions.

An additional benefit is formed due to the fact that during the day the owner DO NOT PAY at the day rate, and at night PAYING at night.

Such quickly recouped objects can be any energy-consuming production with an empty flat roof, shopping and entertainment and sports centers and parking lots, refrigeration complexes, etc.

Surprisingly, such solutions, which can significantly reduce operating costs, are still not used by property owners.

For the foreseeable future, with the development of solar energy, an increasing number of building owners will use clean energy instead of hydrocarbons.

The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (RSF); its results were published in the international journal Frontiers in Chemistry. More details.

A plant for the production of solar panels will be built in the Ulyanovsk region

In January, during a working visit to China, a delegation with the governor of the Ulyanovsk region visited the enterprise of the technological partner of the Austrian company Green Source to get acquainted with the company's products and discuss the upcoming construction of a plant for the production of solar panels in the Ulyanovsk region. An agreement on the construction of such a plant was reached with Austrian companies last year.

"At the end of 2018, we agreed with Austrian companies to build an enterprise in the Ulyanovsk region for the production of photovoltaic modules for solar power plants using promising technology," Governor Morozov said on January 19 on his Facebook page.

2018

Four 100 MW solar power plants will operate in Buryatia by 2022

Four solar power plants (SPP) with a total capacity of 100 MW will operate in Buryatia by 2022. This was announced on Monday by the acting Minister for the Development of Transport, Energy and Road Facilities Alexei Nazimov, speaking at a meeting of the Science Council under the head of Buryatia Alexei Tsydenov.

Owners of solar panels on their homes will be allowed to sell electricity

Local sales companies will be obliged to buy electricity at an average price, the ministry's press service explained. The benchmark will be the cost of energy at local large power plants. Owners of private houses in areas that do not have access to the unified power grid of Russia or are not included in the price zones of the European part of the Russian Federation and the Urals with Siberia (for example, the Kaliningrad region and the Far East) will be allowed to sell it at a tariff regulated by the FAS. Installations no more powerful than 15 kW will be able to apply for a guaranteed purchase of energy.

It is possible that the owners of wind turbines and solar panels in private houses will also be granted tax incentives. Their income from the sale of excess electricity in the amount of up to 150 thousand rubles. per year can be exempted from personal income tax. The relevant issue is being considered by the government.

T Plus starts construction of the largest solar stations in Russia

- Development of "green" energy is a key area of \u200b\u200bwork of the regional government on the development of alternative fuels and preservation of the environment. Five solar power plants are already operating in the region. The largest of them was built in Orsk by the T Plus company. With the launch of the second stage, its capacity increased to 40 megawatts. Solar power plants operate in Perevolotsky, Grachevsky, Krasnogvardeisky, Sol-Iletsky districts, - said Yuri Berg. - Today we are making an important step forward - we are starting the construction of two more alternative energy facilities. Our task is to strengthen the leading positions of the Orenburg region in the development of alternative energy. We will fulfill this task, and by 2020 the capacity of all solar power plants in the Orenburg region will be more than 200 megawatts. Today, the environmental aspect is of decisive importance for determining the quality and level of comfort in human life. This is the priority of the presidential policy. The development of alternative energy is a look into the future, the head of the region stated.

2017

Results of the development of solar energy for the year

First Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Alexey Leonidovich Texler spoke in January 2018 at the ministerial round table "Innovations for energy transformation: how electric transport / electric vehicles change the energy system", which was held as part of the eighth meeting of the IRENA Assembly.

Alexey Teksler told the discussion participants about the development of RES in Russia. According to him, quite recently in Russia, except for large hydropower, there were no competencies in the field of renewable energy sources, and a big step forward has been made in several years.

"The main result of 2017, which I am ready to state, is that renewable energy in Russia has taken place as an industry," the deputy head stressed.

Almost from scratch, Russia has created its own industry in solar energy, from research to the production of solar panels and the construction of generating stations. More renewable energy capacity was built in 2017 than in the previous two years. In 2015-2016, 130 MW of renewable energy sources were commissioned in Russia, and 140 MW were built in 2017, of which more than 100 MW are solar power plants, and 35 MW is the first large wind farm, which will be launched in the near future.

Among the key achievements, the First Deputy Minister of Energy also noted the launch of the production of new generation solar panels based on domestic heterostructure technology. Russia began to produce modules with an efficiency higher than 22%, which, according to this indicator, are among the world's top three leaders in terms of efficiency in mass production. This year it is planned to increase the plant's production capacity from 160 MW to 250 MW.

Alexey Teksler expressed confidence that, as in solar energy, a wind energy industry will be created in the next three years. Already for 2016-2017. large Russian and foreign investors came to the Russian wind energy industry, who undertook obligations to develop a technological and production base in Russia.

Isyangulovskaya solar power plant commissioned in Bashkortostan

In the Zianchurinsky district of the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Isyangulovskaya solar power plant (SPP) with a capacity of 9 MW was put into operation in the fall of 2017.

The investor and general contractor of the project are the structures of the Hevel group of companies (a joint venture of the Renova Group of Companies and AO RUSNANO). Local contractors were also involved in the construction. After the completion of all routine procedures, the station will begin the scheduled supply of electricity to the grid. Investments in the construction of the station amounted to more than 1.5 billion rubles.

In 2015-2016. in the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Bugulchanskaya SPP with a total capacity of 15 MW, as well as the Buribayevskaya SPP with a capacity of 20 MW were built and put into operation. Since entering the wholesale electricity and capacity market, the stations have generated more than 40 GWh of clean electricity.

With the commissioning of the Isyangulovskaya SPP, the installed capacity of solar generation in the region has reached 44 MW. The new facility is the third out of five that Hevel plans to build in Bashkortostan in the coming years. The total capacity of all solar power plants in the region will be 64 MW, and the total investment is estimated at more than 6 billion rubles.

Scientists have found a way to improve the efficiency of solar cells

Russian and Swiss researchers have studied the effect on the structure and performance of solar cells by changing the ratio of components from which the light-absorbing layer of a perovskite solar cell is formed. The results of the work were published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry C.

For the first time organo-inorganic perovskites were developed five years ago, but in terms of efficiency they have already surpassed the most common and more expensive silicon solar cells. The structure of perovskites contains crystalline compounds, in which the solvent molecules of the initial components are located. Dissolved components, falling out of solution, form a film on which perovskite crystals grow. Scientists have identified and described three intermediates that are crystal solvates of one of two solvents most commonly used in the creation of perovskite solar cells. For the two compounds, scientists have established the crystal structure for the first time.

“We found that the formation of intermediates is a key factor in determining the functional properties of the perovskite layer, since perovskite crystallites inherit the form of intermediates. This, in turn, affects film morphology and solar cell efficiency. This is especially important when producing thin perovskite films, since the acicular or filamentary shape of the crystals will lead to the resulting film being discontinuous, and this will significantly reduce the efficiency of such a solar cell, ”said research leader Alexei Tarasov.

Additionally, the authors investigated the thermal stability of the obtained compounds and calculated the energy of their formation using quantum-chemical modeling. The authors also found out that the crystal structure of the intermediate compound determines the shape of the resulting perovskite crystals, which determines the structure of the light-absorbing layer. This structure, in turn, affects the performance of the resulting solar cell.

The study was carried out by researchers from Moscow State University in collaboration with scientists from the Kurchatov Center for Synchrotron Radiation, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, St. Petersburg State University and the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne in Switzerland.

Vekselberg plant begins production of solar panels for export

"Hevel" in the Orenburg and Astrakhan regions

In October, the Governor of the Astrakhan Region Alexander Zhilkin and the General Director of the Hevel Group of Companies Igor Shakhrai signed a bilateral agreement providing for the construction and commissioning of three grid solar power plants.

Within two years, capacities for the generation of 135 MW of energy will appear on the territory of the region, with the prospect of increasing to 160 MW. The investment cost of the project is 15 billion rubles. It is planned that by the end of the year one power plant will be completed and put into operation. SES will bring additional tax revenues to the regional treasury. According to Igor Shakhrai, 100 million rubles of taxes will be deducted for every 10 MW of energy per year. The General Director of Hevel LLC noted that the Astrakhan land is the sunniest in the south of Russia. In addition, the region has a proven scheme for connecting to the main power grids. In addition to this, the authorities strongly support and strive to develop the area of \u200b\u200bclean energy. By the end of the year, 6 SPPs with a total capacity of 90 MW will be commissioned in the region.

2015 year

The world solar energy is approaching the stage when the production of electricity with the help of the Sun begins to pay off with the usual, not increased tariff, the cost of materials and the amount of necessary investments fall sharply, as technologies develop and the volume effect begins to affect (a lot to produce is cheaper than a little). In comparison with 2014, the volume of generated energy based on solar power plants in the world has grown by a third. At the end of 2015, the total installed capacity of photovoltaic solar plants in the world amounted to 227 GW, and the installed capacities of solar power plants doubled over the year. If before the world leader in the development of renewable energy was Europe, last year China took the lead.

SoftBank to build the largest solar power plant in Saudi Arabia

The corresponding memorandum of intent was signed in New York by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son. The prince is on a three-week official visit, the channel said.

The planned capacity of a cascade of solar panels of 200 GW is many times more than that of any existing solar power plant. By comparison, California's Topaz Solar Farm, one of the largest of its kind, has a peak capacity of about 550 MW. 9 million thin-layer photovoltaic modules accumulate energy there.

Dutch startup Oceans of Energy, which specializes in the development of floating systems for the production of renewable electricity, has teamed up with five major companies to build the world's first solar power plant drifting on the high seas. "Such power plants are already operating on reservoirs in the mainland of different countries. But no one built them at sea - this is an extremely difficult task. We have to deal with huge waves and other destructive forces of nature. However, we are convinced that by combining our knowledge and experience, we will cope with this project ", - said the head of Oceans of Energy Allard van Hoecken.

According to preliminary calculations, the floating power plant will be 15% more efficient than existing installations. The Netherlands Energy Research Center (ECN) will select the most suitable solar modules. Its experts believe that it is possible to use standard solar panels for the project, which also work on ground-based solar stations. "Let's see how they behave in seawater and in adverse weather conditions," said ECN spokesman Jan Kroon.

Consortium representatives emphasize that a floating solar power plant can be installed directly between offshore wind turbines. There are quieter waves and all power lines have already been installed. In the next three years, the consortium will work on a prototype with financial support from the Dutch government agency. And Utrecht University will provide the startup with its research materials.

Solar energy cost in Australia has dropped 44% since 2012

This fascination with renewable energy has led people to actually pay less for electricity. Plus, the cost of the electricity itself has also decreased. Since 2012, solar panel installation and operating costs have fallen by almost half.

In 2017, private homeowners and businesses installed panels with a total capacity of 1.05 GW in the country. This assessment is given by the department responsible for clean energy issues in the country. The authorities say this is a record figure in history. Renewable energy growth in the early part of this decade was reportedly linked to lucrative subsidies and tax proposals, but 2017 growth is different: residents of the country have chosen to deal with rising electricity tariffs in this way, and the movement has become massive.

BNEF predicts Australia will become the world leader in solar panel adoption. By 2040, 25% of the country's electricity needs will be covered by rooftop solar panels. This will become possible due to the fact that today the payback period of such solutions has been reduced to the minimum since 2012. While this does not mean that the traditional power plants in Australia are a thing of the past, but people are becoming freer in terms of providing themselves with electricity.

2017

South Korea will 5 times increase solar generation by 2030

The South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy has unveiled the government's plan to increase solar power generation fivefold by 2030.

The announcement came shortly after this year's president-elect Moon Jae-in pledged to end government support for new nuclear power plants and set a course for clean electricity. The government has already canceled the construction of six nuclear reactors in South Korea.

In total, the country plans to receive a fifth of the electricity generated from renewable sources by 2030. Last year this figure was 7%. For this, it is planned to add 30.8 GW of solar power and 16.5 GW of wind power by the appointed date. Additional energy will come from major projects, as well as from private households and small businesses, Minister Pike Ungu said. “We will fundamentally change the way renewables develop by creating conditions in which citizens can easily participate in renewable energy trade,” he said.

This means that by 2022, about 1 in 30 households should be equipped with solar panels, according to Clean Technica.

Nevertheless, while South Korea ranks fifth in the world in the use of nuclear energy. The country has 24 operating reactors, providing about a third of the country's electricity needs.

BP invested $ 200 million in solar energy

The Atacama Desert in Chile is one of the sunniest and driest places on the planet. It is logical that it was there that they decided to build the largest solar power plant in Latin America El Romero. Giant solar panels cover 280 hectares. Its peak capacity is 246 MW and the plant generates 493 GWh of energy per year - enough to power 240,000 homes.

Surprisingly, just five years ago, Chile used almost no renewable energy sources. The country was dependent on its neighbors for energy supplies, which inflated prices and made Chileans suffer exorbitant electricity bills. However, it is the lack of fossil fuels that has led to a significant flow of investment in renewables, especially solar energy.

Chile now produces virtually the cheapest solar energy in the world. The companies hope the country will become "Saudi Arabia for Latin America". Chile has already joined Mexico and Brazil in the top 10 renewable energy producing countries, and is now set to become the leader in the clean energy transition in Latin America.

"The government of Michelle Bachelet has made a quiet revolution," the sociologist Eugenio Tironi is sure. "It is difficult to overestimate her contribution to the transition to renewable energy sources, and this will determine the factor of the country's development for many years."

Now that Chile's oligopolistic energy market is open to competition, the government has set a new goal: by 2025, 20% of the country's energy should come from renewable sources. And by 2040, Chile is going to completely switch to "clean" energy. Even to experts, this does not seem utopian, since the country's solar power plants, with the current technologies, produce twice as cheap electricity as coal-fired power plants. Solar energy prices fell 75% to a record 2.148 cents per kilowatt hour.

Manufacturing companies face a different problem: too cheap electricity does not bring much profit, and the maintenance and replacement of solar panels is expensive. "The government will have to build long-term strategies so that the miracle does not become a nightmare," - said the CEO of the Spanish conglomerate Acciona, Jose Ignacio Escobar.

Google goes completely solar and wind energy

The company has become the world's largest corporate buyer of renewable energy, reaching a total capacity of 3 GW. Google's total investment in clean energy reached $ 3.5 billion, Electrek writes in November 2017.

Google is officially moving to 100% solar and wind power. The company has signed a contract with three wind farms: Avangrid in South Dakota, EDF in Iowa and GRDA in Oklahoma, with a combined capacity of 535 MW. Now Google offices around the world will consume 3 GW of renewable energy.

The total investments of the company in the energy sector have reached $ 3.5 billion, and 2/3 of them are in the. This interest in "clean" sources is associated, first of all, with the fall in the cost of solar and wind energy by 60-80% in recent years.

Google first signed a partnership with a 114 MW Iowa solar farm back in 2010. By November 2016, the company had already participated in 20 renewable energy projects. It was going to completely switch to solar and wind energy back in December 2016. Google is now the world's largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy.

Smart glass for windows invented in Sweden

Scientists have been researching this area for a long time and are looking for application development. In the modern world, this technology is relevant, since the heat loss of houses due to windows is about 20%. Scientists believe that their invention can also be used for thermal insulation of various objects.

In Iran, villages sell electricity to the state

As of the fall of 2017, there are more than 200 "green" villages in Iran. It is expected that by the spring of 2018 their number will reach 300. "Iran today reports" that in some settlements of the country solar panels have been standing for ten years. It is noted that the largest amounts of energy from the sun are produced in the provinces of Kerman, Khuzestan and Lorestan.

Initially, the emergence of alternative energy sources in the villages of Iran was due to the impossibility of delivering electricity to them from cities. Now they sell their own energy to the Iranian Ministry of Energy. It is planned to develop legislative norms according to which the purchase of electricity in villages will become permanent.

By 2030 Iran expects to produce 7,500 MW of "green" energy, today this figure is only 350 MW. However, the country has good prospects for the development of solar energy, because the sun shines 300 days a year on 2/3 of the territory.

British Scientists Invent Solar-Powered Glass Bricks

A group of scientists at the University of Exeter in England has developed glass wall blocks with integrated solar panels. The architectural portal Archdaily writes about this. Blocks can be used to build houses instead of regular bricks.

The building material was named "Solar Squared" ("Solar square tile"). As tests in the university laboratory have shown, in addition to generating electricity, the blocks have a number of other useful properties. In particular, the walls built in this way let sunlight into the building well and keep the heat in the premises.

To promote the product, scientists created the innovative company The Build Solar. The search for investors is currently underway. The launch of the solar tile is tentatively scheduled for 2018.

World's largest solar power plant launched in Dubai

The installation of each solar panel cost 6 thousand euros, including annual rent, repairs and technical equipment. It is planned that the solar panels will work at public transport stops for about a year, after which they will be transferred to schools and kindergartens.

According to Peter Svitalski, head of the EU delegation to Armenia, the EU is interested in the development of alternative energy in the country. He called the stop with solar panels "solar stop of the European Union".

We live in the world of the future, although this is not noticeable in all regions. In any case, the possibility of developing new energy sources is being seriously discussed in progressive circles today. Solar energy is one of the most promising areas.

At the moment, about 1% of the electricity on Earth comes from the processing of solar radiation. So why have we still not abandoned other “harmful” methods, and will we give it up at all? We suggest that you read our article and try to answer this question yourself.

How solar energy is converted to electricity

Let's start with the most important - how the sun's rays are converted into electricity.

The process itself is called "Solar Generation" ... The most effective ways to ensure it are as follows:

• photovoltaic;
• heliothermal energy;
• solar balloon power plants.

Let's consider each of them.

Photovoltaic

In this case, the electric current appears due to photovoltaic effect... The principle is this: sunlight hits the photocell, electrons absorb the energy of photons (light particles) and start moving. As a result, we get an electrical voltage.

This is exactly the process that takes place in solar panels, which are based on elements that convert solar radiation into electricity.

The very design of photovoltaic panels is flexible enough and can have different sizes. Therefore, they are very practical in use. In addition, the panels have high performance properties: they are resistant to precipitation and temperature extremes.

And here's how it works separate solar panel module:

You can read about the use of solar panels as chargers, power supplies in private homes, for the improvement of cities and for medical purposes in.

Modern solar panels and power plants

Recent examples include the company's solar panels SistineSolar... They can be of any shade and texture, unlike traditional dark blue panels. This means that they can "decorate" the roof of the house as you please.

Another solution was suggested by Tesla developers. They put on sale not just panels, but a full-fledged roofing material that recycles solar energy. contains built-in solar modules and can also have a wide variety of designs. At the same time, the material itself is much stronger than ordinary roofing tiles; Solar Roof even has an endless guarantee.

As an example of a full-fledged solar power plant, we can mention the recently built in Europe station with double-sided panels. The latter collect both direct solar radiation and reflective radiation. This increases the efficiency of solar generation by 30%. This station should generate about 400 MWh per year.

Interest is also the largest floating solar power plant in China... Its capacity is 40 MW. Such solutions have 3 important advantages:

• there is no need to occupy large land areas, which is important for China;
• water evaporation decreases in water bodies;
• the photocells themselves heat up less and work more efficiently.

By the way, this floating solar power plant was built on the site of an abandoned coal mining enterprise.

The technology based on the photovoltaic effect is the most promising today, and according to experts, solar panels will be able to produce about 20% of the world's electricity demand in the next 30-40 years.

Solar energy

Here the approach is a little different, because solar radiation is used to heat a container of liquid. This turns it into steam, which turns the turbine, which results in the generation of electricity.

Thermal power plants operate on the same principle, only the liquid is heated by burning coal.

The most obvious example of using this technology is ivanpa Solar station in the Mojave Desert. It is the world's largest solar thermal power plant.

It has been operating since 2014 and does not use any fuel to generate electricity - only environmentally friendly solar energy.

The water boiler is located in the towers, which you can see in the center of the structure. Around is a field of mirrors that direct the sun's rays to the top of the tower. In doing so, the computer constantly rotates these mirrors depending on the location of the sun.

The concentrated solar energy heats up the water in the tower and becomes steam. This creates pressure and steam starts to rotate the turbine, as a result of which electricity is released. The power of this station is 392 megawatts, which is quite comparable with the average CHP in Moscow.

It is interesting that such stations can operate at night. This is possible due to the placement of part of the heated steam in the storage and its gradual use to rotate the turbine.

Solar Balloon Power Plants

Although this original solution has not received widespread use, it still takes place.

The installation itself consists of 4 main parts:

• Aerostat - located in the sky, collecting solar radiation. Water enters the ball, which quickly heats up, becoming steam.
• Steam line - through it, steam under pressure descends to the turbine, forcing it to rotate.
• Turbine - under the influence of a stream of steam, it rotates, producing electrical energy.
• Condenser and pump - steam that has passed through the turbine is condensed into water and rises into the balloon with the help of a pump, where it is again heated to a vapor state.

What are the advantages of solar energy

• The sun will give us its energy for a few billion more years. At the same time, people do not need to spend funds and resources for its production.
• Solar energy generation is a completely environmentally friendly process with no risks to nature.
• Autonomy of the process. Collecting sunlight and generating electricity takes place with minimal human intervention. The only thing to do is to keep your work surfaces or mirrors clean.
• Depleted solar panels can be recycled and reused in production.

Solar energy development problems

Despite the implementation of ideas for maintaining the operation of solar power plants at night, no one is immune from the vagaries of nature. Over the course of several days, the sky covered with clouds significantly reduces the production of electricity, while the population and enterprises need its uninterrupted supply.

Building a solar power plant is not a cheap pleasure. This is due to the need to use rare elements in their design. Not all countries are ready to spend their budgets on less powerful power plants when there are workers at thermal power plants and nuclear power plants.

For the placement of such installations, large areas are required, moreover, in places where the solar radiation has a sufficient level.

How solar energy is developed in Russia

Unfortunately, in our country, coal, gas and oil are still being burned to the full, and Russia will surely be among the last to completely switch to alternative energy.

To date solar generation is only 0.03% of the RF energy balance... For comparison, in the same Germany, this figure is more than 20%. Private entrepreneurs are not interested in investing in solar energy because of the long payback period and not so high profitability, because gas is much cheaper here.

In the economically developed Moscow and Leningrad regions, solar activity is at a low level. There, the construction of solar power plants is simply impractical. But the southern regions are quite promising.