*Mbolo Everybody,
Are you all (gre)energised by now? Christmas is coming soon and fast and the year 2016 is drawing to an end. I have officially launched the blog almost 4 months ago now and it is a good opportunity to review what we have done so far. A sort of recap to digest the various notions we have explored. To make the matter more interesting, there is a little quiz associated to this summary, to test your knowledge as we are progressing.
PS: By the way, Santa Claus has asked me to say that you should take the challenge as he is watching closely. You never know, the winner might find himself/herself lucky!
We kicked off this journey by exploring…
Energy is the ability of a system to produce work. It is the quantity used to get something to move, burn, explodes, etc. it comes in different forms: electrical energy, chemical energy, mechanical energy, …
Power is the rate at which Energy is being used.
Q1: What is the equation between Energy and Power? What are their units?
We then looked at the different components that make a successful solar project. Starting by…
The choice of the developer is central for a good design. He is the main responsible of the generation project, putting together all the pieces of the puzzle. Choosing the right one is then essential.
For a good design, the developer will investigate the solar resources, notably the irradiance and insolation. He will also monitor the access to the grid, the connection process and the land lease agreement.
Make the right choice of modules and the balance of system is also the prerogative of the developer.
One of the main outputs of the design is the Energy Yield, the annual production of electricity delivered by the system.
Q2: What is the difference between irradiance and insolation?
Q3: How does temperature affect modules?
We then carried on by looking at how we could have …
The developer is managing the implementation phase but he would greatly be helped by the EPC contractor who is physically building the plant. For smooth operations, all the permits and licences will need to be obtained in good times.
Environmental and social assessments would need to be carried out to clearly evaluate impacts of the project in the surroundings.
An operation and maintenance strategy should be put in place to ensure longevity of the solar plant.
Q4: Which construction strategy is recommended by the Solar industry?
Q5: Name an issue that could be encountered in a hot country if there is no Operation & Maintenance strategy?
To conclude we taledk about constructing…
Developing the right financial approach is critical for the success of the project. Deciding whether the solar plant will be paid for outright or through finance agreement plan is a question that needs to be resolved early. Due to the level of investments usually required, a good majority of large scale and some small scale solar plants will be project financed. Investors will run through due-diligence the developer, EPC and off-taker to determine whether or not the project is investable.
A supportive regulatory framework is also necessary to inject confidence and government incentives can act to boost the market.
Q6: Name examples of risks associated with Solar PV Projects?
Q7: What does FiTs mean?
Having reviewed the components of a successful solar project, we came back to basics to revisit early notions, like understanding …
Solar photocells catch sunlight that fall into the PN junction. Through the photoelectric effect, electrons that absorb photons will jump across the energy gap barrier, from the valence to the conduction band, and flow out around the circuit, generating electricity. The more light that shines, the more electrons jump up and the more current flows. So, the Current depends on illumination and area but the Voltage depends on built-in field between the P side and the N side.
Q8: What are the 3 categories of the solar spectrum?
And finding out about the different…
There are 3 types of solar PV technologies
- Crystalline silicon (Mono and Multi)
- Thin Film (amorphous, cadmium, copper)
- Advanced concepts
All modules experience degradation over their lifetime due to the effect of light, humidity, temperature, pollution, dust and material quality.
To ensure good quality, solar panels should normally go through IEC certification.
Q9: What are the efficiencies of the different solar technologies?
Q10: Which solar technologies dominate the market?
I do hope you have found this recap useful and you have taken the opportunity to test the knowledge with the quiz. By the way, all answers are in the various articles and I am sure you will have no trouble in identifying them.
Remember, this blog is here to share the knowledge and I’ll be very interested to hearing from you. So do not hesitate the comment this articles or previous ones.
You like what you see? So share it around you! You have a feedback? Please to contact me!!
All that is left for me is to wish you all, a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! See You in January 2017!!
May the Sun be with you!!
PS: Take the quiz! Santa is watching…
*Mbolo: “Good Morning” in Bulu, language spoken by people from South Cameroon
Good Article!