Sanjivani College of Engineering

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Basic Mechanical Engineering

Unit 03 Power Producing Devices

Boiler: A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid
does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in
various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central
heating, boiler-based power generation, cooking, and sanitation.

Boilers Classification:
There are a large number of boiler designs, but boilers can be classified according to
the following criteria:

1. According to Relative Passage of water and hot gases:

1. Water Tube Boiler: A boiler in which the water flows through some small
tubes which are surrounded by hot combustion gases, e.g., Babcock and Wilcox,
Stirling, Benson boilers, etc.
2. Fire-tube Boiler: The hot combustion gases pass through the boiler tubes,
which are surrounded by water, e.g., Lancashire, Cochran, locomotive boilers,
etc.

2. According to Water Circulation Arrangement:

1. Natural Circulation: Water circulates in the boiler due to density difference
of hot and water, e.g., Babcock and Wilcox boilers, Lancashire boilers, Cochran,
locomotive boilers, etc.
2. Forced Circulation: A water pump forces the water along its path, therefore,
the steam generation rate increases, e.g., Benson, La Mont, Velox boilers, etc.

3. According to the Use:

1. Stationary Boiler: These boilers are used for power plants or processes steam
in plants.
2. Portable Boiler: These are small units of mobile and are used for temporary
uses at the sites.
3. Locomotive: These are specially designed boilers. They produce steam to
drive railway engines.
4. Marine Boiler: These are used on ships.

4. According to Position of the Boilers:

 Horizontal, inclined or vertical boilers

5. According to the Position of Furnace

1. Internally fired: The furnace is located inside the shell, e.g., Cochran,
Lancashire boilers, etc.
2. Externally fired: The furnace is located outside the boiler shell, e.g., Babcock
and Wilcox, Stirling boilers, etc.
6. According to Pressure of steam generated
 Low-pressure boiler: a boiler which produces steam at a pressure of 15-20
bar is called a low-pressure boiler. This steam is used for process heating.
 Medium-pressure boiler: It has a working pressure of steam from 20 bars to
80 bars and is used for power generation or combined use of power generation
and process heating.
 High-pressure boiler: It produces steam at a pressure of more than 80 bars.
 Sub-critical boiler: If a boiler produces steam at a pressure which is less than
the critical pressure, it is called as a subcritical boiler.
 Supercritical boiler: These boilers provide steam at a pressure greater than
the critical pressure. These boilers do not have an evaporator and the water
directly flashes into steam, and thus they are called once through boilers.

7. According to charge in the furnace.

 Pulverized fuel,
 Supercharged fuel and
 Fluidized bed combustion boilers.

 Fire Tube Boilers-

In fire tube boilers, the combustion gases pass inside boiler tubes, and heat is
transferred to water on the shell side. Scotch marine boilers are the most common
type of industrial fire tube boiler. The Scotch marine boiler is an industry workhorse
due to low initial cost, and advantages in efficiency and durability. Scotch marine
boilers are typically cylindrical shells with horizontal tubes configured such that the
exhaust gases pass through these tubes, transferring energy to boiler water on the shell
side.
Scotch marine boilers contain relatively large amounts of water, which enables
them to respond to load changes with relatively little change in pressure. However,
since the boiler typically holds a large water mass, it requires more time to initiate
steaming and more time to accommodate changes in steam pressure. Also, Scotch
marine boilers generate steam on the shell side, which has a large surface area,
limiting the amount of pressure they can generate. In general, Scotch marine boilers
are not used where pressures above 300 psig are required. Today, the biggest firetube
boilers are over 1,500 boiler horsepower.
Firetube boilers are often characterized by their number of passes, referring to
the number of times the combustion (or flue) gases flow the length of the pressure
vessel as they transfer heat to the water. Each pass sends the flue gases through the
tubes in the opposite direction. To make another pass, the gases turn 180 degrees and
pass back through the shell. The turnaround zones can be either dryback or water-
back. In dryback designs, the turnaround area is refractory lined. In water-back
designs, this turnaround zone is water-cooled, eliminating the need for the refractory
lining.

 Water Tube Boilers-

In water tube boilers, boiler water passes through the tubes while the exhaust
gases remain in the shell side, passing over the tube surfaces. Since tubes can
typically withstand higher internal pressure than the large chamber shell in a fire tube,
water tube boilers are used where high steam pressures are required.
Water tube boilers are also capable of high efficiency and can generate saturated
or superheated steam. The ability of water tube boilers to generate superheated steam
makes these boilers particularly attractive in applications that require dry, high-
pressure, high-energy steam, including steam turbine power generation.
 The performance characteristics of water tube boilers make them highly favorable
in process industries, including chemical manufacturing, pulp and paper
manufacturing, and refining. Although fire tube boilers account for the majority of
boiler sales in terms of units, water-tube boilers account for the majority of boiler
capacity.

 BOILER MOUNTINGS AND ACCESSORIES

Boiler mountings and accessories both are different things, the
mountings are used for the safety of the boiler whereas the accessories are used to
increase the efficiency of the boiler with same amount of fuel.
The different boiler mountings and accessories that are installed on the steam boiler
are as follows:
Boiler mountings:

1. Water level indicator (Water level gauge)

2. Pressure gauge
3. Safety valves
4. Stop valve
5. Blow off cock (Blow off valve)
6. Feed check valve
The function of various boiler mountings and accessories are:
1. Water Level Indicator
It is fitted in front of the boiler and generally present two in number. It is used to
indicate the water level inside the boiler. It shows the instantaneous level of water
that is present inside the steam boiler which is necessary for its proper working.
2. Pressure gauge
It is also present in front of the boiler. It is used to measure the pressure of the
steam inside the boiler. The pressure gauges generally used are of Bourden type
3. Safety Valves
Safety valves are attached to the steam boiler chest. It is used to prevent explosion
due to excessive internal pressure. When the internal pressure inside the boiler
exceeds its working pressures than the safety valves blow off the steam and
maintains the internal pressure. Generally two safety valves are present on a boiler.

4. Stop Valve (steam stop valve)

It is usually fitted on the highest part of the boiler with the help of a [Link]
main function of the stop valve is to control the flow of steam from the boiler to
the main steam pipe. To completely shut off the steam supply when required.
5. Blow Off Cock
It is fitted at the bottom of the boiler drum. The functions of blow off cock is
i. To empty the boiler whenever required.
ii. To discharge the scale, mud and sediments which gets collected at the bottom
of the boiler.
6. Feed Check Valve
It is non-return valve and fitted to a screwed spindle to regulate the lift. It is fitted
to the shell slightly below the normal water level of the boiler. A boiler must have
its spindle lifted before the pump is started. It regulates the supply of water which
is pumped into the boiler by feed pump.
7. Fusible Plug
It is fitted to the crown plate of the furnace or firebox. Its function is to extinguish
fire in the furnace when the water level in the boiler falls to an unsafe limit. This
avoids the explosion that may takes place because of the overheating of the
furnace plate.

 Boiler accessories: the boiler accessories are the integral parts of the boiler.
They are used in the boiler to improve its efficiency.

Boiler accessories:

1. Air pre-heater
2. Super heater
3. Economiser

1. Air pre-heater
It is used to recover heat from the exhaust gases. It is installed between the
economiser and the chimney.
2. Super heater
It is placed in the path of hot flue gases from the furnace. A super heater is an
important accessory used in the boiler. Its main function is to increase the
temperature of saturated steam without
raising its pressure.
3. Economiser
 It is used to heat the feed water by the utilization of heat from the hot fuel
gases before it leaves the chimney.
 A economiser improves the economy of the steam boilers.
TURBINE:
A turbine is a device that harnesses the kinetic energy of some fluid - such
as water, steam, air, or combustion gases - and turns this into the rotational motion of
the device itself. These devices are generally used in electrical generation, engines,
and propulsion systems and are classified as a type of engine. They are classified as
such because engines are simply technologies that take an input and generate an
output. A simple turbine is composed of a series of blades - currently steel is one of
the most common materials used - and allows the fluid to enter the turbine, pushing
the blades. These blades then spin and eject the fluid which now has less energy it did
than when it entered the turbine. Some of the energy is captured by the turbine and
used.
Turbines are used in many different areas, and each type of turbine has a slightly
different construction to perform its job properly. Turbines are used in wind
power, hydropower, in heat engines, and for propulsion. Turbines are extremely
important because of the fact that nearly all electricity is generated by them.

 Types of Turbines
Turbines are also divided by their principle of operation and can be:
1. An Impulse turbine, which is driven by a high-velocity jet (or multiple jets)
of water. Example: Pelton, Turgo, and Crossflow turbine.
2. A Reaction turbine. The rotor of a reaction turbine is fully immersed in water
and is enclosed in a pressure casing. The runner blades are profiled so that
pressure differences across them impose lift forces, just as on aircraft wings,
which cause the runner to rotate faster than is possible with a jet. Example:
propeller turbine (with Kaplan variant) and Francis turbine
3. A Gravity turbine is driven simply by the weight of water entering the top of
the turbine and falling to the bottom, where it is released – for example, an
overshot waterwheel. These are inherently slow-running machines. Example:
reverse Archimedes Screw and overshot waterwheel

 Impulse Turbines:


The Pelton Turbine consists of a wheel with a series of split buckets set
around its rim; a high velocity jet of water is directed tangentially at the wheel. The
jet hits each bucket and is split in half, so that each half is turned and deflected back
almost through 180º. Nearly all the energy of the water goes into propelling the
bucket and the deflected water falls into a discharge channel below.
 The Turgo turbine is similar to the Pelton but the jet strikes the plane of the
runner at an angle (typically 20° to 25°) so that the water enters the runner on one
side and exits on the other. Therefore the flow rate is not limited by the discharged
fluid interfering with the incoming jet (as is the case with Pelton turbines). As a
consequence, a Turgo turbine can have a smaller diameter runner and rotate faster
than a Pelton for an equivalent flow rate.
The Crossflow turbine has a drum-like rotor with a solid disk at each end and
gutter-shaped “slats” joining the two disks. A jet of water enters the top of the rotor
through the curved blades, emerging on the far side of the rotor by passing through
the blades a 2nd time. The shape of the blades is such that on each passage through
the periphery of the rotor the water transfers some of its momentum, before falling
away with little residual energy.

Reaction Turbines:

Reaction turbines exploit the oncoming flow of water to generate

hydrodynamic lift forces to propel the runner blades. They are distinguished from
the impulse type by having a runner that always functions within a completely
water-filled casing.
All reaction turbines have a diffuser known as a ‘draft tube’ below the
runner through which the water discharges. The draft tube slows the discharged
water and so creates suction below the runner which increases the effective head.
Propeller-type turbines are similar in principle to the propeller of a ship,
but operating in reversed mode. A set of inlet guide vanes admits the flow to the
propeller and these are often adjustable so as to allow the flow passing through the
machine to be varied. In some cases the blades of the runner can also be adjusted, in
which case the turbine is called a Kaplan. The mechanics for adjusting turbine
blades and guide vanes can be costly and tend to be more affordable for large
systems, but can greatly improve efficiency over a wide range of flows.
The Francis turbine is essentially a modified form of propeller turbine in
which water flows radially inwards into the runner and is turned to emerge axially.
For medium-head schemes, the runner is most commonly mounted in a spiral casing
with internal adjustable guide vanes. Since the cross-flow turbine is now a less
costly (though less efficient) alternative to the spiral-case Francis, it is rare for these
turbines to be used on sites of less than 100 kW output.
Gravity Turbines
The Archimedes Screw has been used as a pump for centuries, but has only
recently been used in reverse as a turbine. It’s principle of operation is the same as
the overshot waterwheel, but the clever shape of the helix allows the turbine to
rotate faster than the equivalent waterwheel and with high efficiency of power
conversion (over 80%). However they are still slow-running machines, which
require a multi-stage gearbox to drive a standard generator. A key advantage of the
Screw is that it avoids the need for a fine screen and automatic screen cleaner
because most debris can pass safely through the turbine. The Archimedian screw is
proven to be a ‘fish-friendly’ turbine.
 Turbine Types:
 Internal Combustion Engine:
An engine which generates motive power by the burning of petrol, oil, or other
fuel with air inside the engine, the hot gases produced being used to drive a piston or
do other work as they expand.

S.I. Engine
Types of Internal Combustion Engines:
Internal combustion engines can be classified into a large number of types based on
several criteria. The classification of IC engines is given below:
1. Based on the fuel used
i Diesel Engine
ii Petrol Engine (or Gasoline Engine)
2. Based on the type of cycle
i Otto Cycle Engine
ii Diesel Cycle Engine
iii Dual Cycle Engine
3. Based on the number of strokes per cycle
i. Two-stroke Engine
ii. Four-stroke Engine
4. Based on the number of cylinders
i. Single Cylinder Engine
ii. Multi cylinder Engine
iii. Twin Cylinder Engine
iv. Three Cylinder Engine
v. Four Cylinder Engine
vi. Six Cylinder Engine
vii. Eight Cylinder Engine
viii. Twelve Cylinder Engine
ix. Sixteen Cylinder Engine
5. Based on the type of ignition
i Spark Ignition Engine (S.I. Engine)
ii Compression Ignition Engine (C.I. Engine)
6. Based on the lubrication system used
i Dry sump lubricated engine
ii Wet sump lubricated Engine
7. Based on the cooling system used
i Air-cooled Engine
ii Water-cooled Engine
8. Based on the arrangement of valves
i L-head Engine
ii I-head Engine
iii T-head Engine
iv F-head Engine
9. Based on the position of cylinders
i Horizontal Engine
ii Vertical Engine
iii Radial Engine
iv Opposed Piston Engine
v Opposed Cylinder Engine
vi V Engine
vii W Engine
viii Inline Engine
10. Based on the pressure boost given to the inlet air or air-fuel mixture
i Naturally aspired Engine
ii Supercharged Engine
iii Turbocharged Engine
iv Crankcase compressed Engine
11. Based on application
i Automobile Engine
ii Aircraft Engine
iii Locomotive Engine
iv Marine Engine
v Stationary Engine

Two-Stroke Engines:
 A two-stroke engine performs all the same steps, but in just two piston strokes.
The simplest two-stroke engines do this by using the crankcase and the underside of
the moving piston as a fresh charge pump. Such engines carry the official name
“crankcase-scavenged two-strokes.”As the two-stroke’s piston rises on compression,
its underside pulls a partial vacuum in the crankcase. An intake port of some kind
(cylinder wall port, reed valve or rotary disc valve) opens, allowing air to rush into the
crankcase through a carburetor.
As the piston nears Top Dead Center, a spark fires the compressed mixture. As
in a four-stroke, the mixture burns and its chemical energy becomes heat energy,
raising the pressure of the burned mixture to hundreds of psi. This pressure drives the
piston down the bore, rotating the crankshaft. As the piston continues down the bore,
it begins to expose an exhaust port in the cylinder wall. As spent combustion gas
rushes out through this port, the descending piston is simultaneously compressing the
fuel-air mixture trapped beneath it in the crankcase.
As the piston descends more, it begins to expose two or more fresh-charge
ports, which are connected to the crankcase by short ducts. As pressure in the cylinder
is now low and pressure in the crankcase higher, fresh charge from the crankcase
rushes into the cylinder through the fresh-charge (or “transfer”) ports. These ports are
shaped and aimed to minimize direct loss of fresh charge to the exhaust port. Even in
the best designs, there is some loss, but simplicity has its price! This process of filling
the cylinder while also pushing leftover exhaust gas out the exhaust port is called
“scavenging.”
While the piston is near Bottom Dead Center, mixture continues to move from
the crankcase, up through the transfer ports, and into the cylinder.
As the piston rises, it first covers the transfer ports, leaving only the exhaust port still
open. If there were no way to stop it, much of the fresh charge would now be pumped
out the exhaust.
The world’s most efficient piston engines are in fact the giant, slow-turning
marine diesels that carry the world’s international shipping trade—they are twice as
efficient as the usual four-stroke spark-ignition engines found in cars and motorcycles.
Four Stroke Compression Ignition (CI) Engine/Diesel Engine-

4-stroke CI (Diesel Engine)

A four-cycle engine works with 4 basic steps to a successful rotation of the

crankshaft: the intake, compression, power and exhaust stroke. Each engine cylinder
has four openings for the intake, exhaust, spark plug and fuel injection. The piston is
driven by the engine's crankshaft whereas the intake and exhaust valves are driven by
the camshaft. The crankshaft and camshaft are connected by a timing belt/chain to
maintain synchronization between them. The various processes comprising the cycles
of a four-stroke engine are explained below:
Working
 Intake/Suction: The intake valve opens, and fresh air (containing no fuel), is
drawn into the cylinder. Piston Moves from TDC to BDC.
 Compression: As the piston rises, the air is compressed, causing its temperature
to rise. At the end of the compression stroke, the air is hot enough to ignite fuel.
Piston moves from BDC to TDC.
 Power: Fuel injector injects fuel in compressed air the fuel burns, the gas in the
cylinder heats and expands, driving the piston. Piston Moves from TDC to BDC.

 Exhaust: The exhaust valve opens, and the exhaust is driven out of the cylinder.
Due to motion of Piston from BDC to TDC.
Four Stroke Spark Ignition (SI) Engine/Petrol Engine-

Working-
 Intake Stroke: The intake stroke is where the intake valves are open and the air
is drawn into the cylinder. The fuel injector sprays the fuel into the cylinder to
achieve the perfect air-fuel ratio. The downward movement of the piston causes
the air and fuel to be sucked into the cylinder.

 Compression Stroke: The next is the compression cycle where both the intake
and exhaust valves are closed. The upward movement of the piston causes the air-
fuel mixture to be compressed upwards towards the spark plug. The compression
makes the air-fuel combination volatile for easier ignition.

 Combustion/Power Stroke: During the power/combustion stroke, both the

intake and exhaust valves are still closed. The spark plug produces a spark to
ignite the compressed air-fuel mixture. The resulting energy of the combustion
forcefully pushes the piston downward.

 Exhaust Stroke: The last cycle is the exhaust stroke, when the exhaust valves
open and the exhaust gases are forced up by the returning piston.
Thermal Power Plant:

Rankine Cycle
A thermal power station is a power station in which heat energy is converted
to electric power. In most of the places in the world the turbine is steam-driven. Water
is heated, turns into steam and spins a steam turbine which drives an electrical
generator. After it passes through the turbine, the steam is condensed in
a condenser and recycled to where it was heated; this is known as a Rankine cycle.
The greatest variation in the design of thermal power stations is due to the different
heat sources; fossil fuel dominates here, although nuclear heat energy; solar heat
energy, biofuels and waste incineration are also used. Some prefer to use the
term energy center because such facilities convert forms of heat energy into electrical
energy. Certain thermal power stations are also designed to produce heat energy for
industrial purposes, or district heating, or desalination of water, in addition to
generating electrical power
Working-
The fuel is transported from mines via trains to the fuel storage facility in a
power plant. The fuel transported to the plant is generally bigger in particle size and
before it is fed to the boiler furnace it is broken down into smaller pieces
using crushers. The fuel is then fed to the boiler generating a large amount
of combustion heat. On the other hand treated water free from impurities and air is fed
to the boiler drum where the combustion heat from the fuel is transferred to water to
convert it into high pressure and temperature steam.
Generally, flue gases from the boiler exhaust are at high temperature and if
this heat is not utilized will lead to a large number of losses resulting in reduced boiler
efficiency. So generally, this waste heat is recovered by heating either air required for
combustion or preheat water before sending it into a boiler. Flue gases are then
allowed to pass through a dust collector or a bag filter to arrest dust particles so as
to prevent air pollution before sending it to the atmosphere through a chimney.

Advantages:
i. Thermal power station has less initial cost as compared to hydro-electric
generating station.
ii. It requires less space as compared to the hydro-electric power station.
iii. The fuel cost is less as compared to gas.
iv. Huge amount of power can be generated by TPS.
v. The cost of generation is less as compared to diesel power station.

Disadvantages
i. The running cost of thermal power station is more as compared to hydro
power station.
ii. It pollutes the atmosphere due to production of large amount of smoke and
fumes.
iii. Maintenance cost is more.
iv. Skilled persons are required for erecting and maintaining the power station.
v. Land requirement is more for storage of coal and ash.

 Rankine Cycle:-
The Rankine cycle or Rankine Vapor Cycle is the process widely used by
power plants such as coal-fired power plants or nuclear reactors. In this mechanism, a
fuel is used to produce heat within a boiler, converting water into steam which then
expands through a turbine producing useful work. This process was developed in
1859 by Scottish engineer William J.M. Rankine.[1] This is a thermodynamic cycle
which converts heat into mechanical energy—which usually gets transformed into
electricity by electrical generation.
Pump: Compression of the fluid to high pressure using a pump (this takes work)
(Figure: Steps 1 to 2)
Boiler: The compressed fluid is heated to the final temperature (which is at boiling
point), therefore, a phase change occurs—from liquid to vapor. (Figure: Steps 2 to 3)
Turbine: Expansion of the vapor in the turbine. (Figure: Steps 3 to 4)
Condenser: Condensation of the vapor in the condenser (where the waste heat goes to
the final heat sink (the atmosphere or a large body of water (ex. lake or river). (Figure:
Steps 4 to 1)
 Hydro Power Plant:

The Three Gorges Dam in China; the hydroelectric dam is the world's largest power station

Hydro-power or water power is power derived from the energy of falling or

fast-running water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Since ancient times,
hydro-power from many kinds of watermills has been used as a renewable
energy source for irrigation and the operation of various mechanical devices, such
as gristmills, sawmills, textile mills, trip hammers, dock cranes, domestic lifts,
and ore mills. A trompe, which produces compressed air from falling water, is
sometimes used to power other machinery at a distance.
Working- Hydro-power plants capture the energy of falling water to
generate electricity. A turbine converts the kinetic energy of falling water into
mechanical energy. Then a generator converts the mechanical energy from the turbine
into electrical energy.
Advantages-
1. If electricity is not needed, the sluice gates can be shut, stopping electricity
generation. The water can be saved for use another time when electricity demand is
high.
2. Dams are designed to last many decades and so can contribute to the generation of
electricity for many years / decades.
3. The lake that forms behind the dam can be used for water sports and leisure /
pleasure activities. Often large dams become tourist attractions in their own right.
4. The lake's water can be used for irrigation purposes.
5. The build up of water in the lake means that energy can be stored until needed,
when the water is released to produce electricity.
6. When in use, electricity produced by dam systems do not produce green house
gases. They do not pollute the atmosphere.

Disadvantages-
1. Dams are extremely expensive to build and must be built to a very high standard.
2. The high cost of dam construction means that they must operate for many decades
to become profitable.
3. The flooding of large areas of land means that the natural environment is destroyed.
4. People living in villages and towns that are in the valley to be flooded, must move
out. This means that they lose their farms and businesses. In some countries, people
are forcibly removed so that hydro-power schemes can go ahead.
5. The building of large dams can cause serious geological damage.

Wind Power Plant-

Wind power or wind energy is the use of air flow through wind turbines to
provide the mechanical power to turn electric generators and traditionally to do other
work, like milling or pumping. Wind power is a sustainable and renewable alternative
to burning fossil fuels, and has a much smaller impact on the environment.
Wind farms consist of many individual wind turbines, which are connected to
the electric power transmission network. Onshore wind is an inexpensive source of
electric power, competitive with or in many places cheaper than coal or gas plants.
Onshore wind farms also have an impact on the landscape, as typically they need to
be spread over more land than other power stations and need to be built in wild and
rural areas, which can lead to "industrialization of the countryside and habitat
loss. Offshore wind is steadier and stronger than on land and offshore farms have less
visual impact, but construction and maintenance costs are considerably higher. Small
onshore wind farms can feed some energy into the grid or provide electric power to
isolated off-grid locations.

Working - Blades of the wind turbine work as an airfoil of different cross-sections

all along the length. When fluid (air) moves over this airfoil it generates a lift force
thus making the blade to rotate at its axis. The generator is also connected to the rotor
shaft starts rotating and produces electricity.
Advantages
i. Air as a fuel is free and inexhaustible.
ii. It is clean source of energy and does note pollute the environment.
iii. The cost of electricity is too low and wind turbine could be used over more
than 20 years
iv. Wind Energy is cheap, only the installation and maintenance cost is more.
v. Wind energy is one of the fastest growing sectors all around the globe so it is
generating a lot of employment in manufacturing, installation and maintenance.
Disadvantages
i. It takes a lot of research and effort to decide the location where wind power
plant has to be installed, due to fluctuating pattern of wind.
ii. Its initial setup cost is too high as to setup a turbine you have to go through a
survey to determine the wind speed of the location. It all adds up to the cost.
iii. The greatest disadvantage to local bird population as they die due to collision
with blades.
iv. Noise pollution is the one of the major disadvantage.
v. Wind power plant is only useful to the countries with coastal or hilly areas.
Solar Power Plant-
 Solar power is the conversion of energyfrom sunlight into electricity, either
directly using photovoltaics (PV), indirectly using concentrated solar power, or a
combination. Concentrated solar power systems use lenses or mirrors and tracking
systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam. Photovoltaic cells convert
light into an electric current using the photovoltaic effect.
Photovoltaics were initially solely used as a source of electricity for small and
medium-sized applications, from the calculator powered by a single solar cell to
remote homes powered by an off-grid rooftop PV system.
Advantages:
1. Solar power is pollution free and causes no greenhouse gases to be emitted
after installation
2. Reduced dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuels
3. Renewable clean power that is available every day of the year, even cloudy
days produce some power
4. Return on investment unlike paying for utility bills
5. Virtually no maintenance as solar panels last over 30 years
6. Excess power can be sold back to the power company if grid inter-tied
7. Use batteries to store extra power for use at night
8. Solar can be used to heat water, power homes and building, even power cars
9. Federal grants, tax incentives, and rebate programs are available to help with
initial costs
Disadvantages
1. High initial costs for material and installation
2. Needs lots of space as efficiency is not 100% yet
3. No solar power at night so there is a need for a large battery bank
4. Depending on geographical location the size of the solar panels vary for the
same power generation
5. Cloudy days do not produce much energy
6. Lower production in the winter months

Solar & Hybrid Power Generation-

The combination of renewable energy sources, wind & solar are used for
generating power called as wind solar hybrid system. This system is designed using
the solar panels and small wind turbines generators for generating electricity.
To better understand the working of solar wind hybrid system, we must know
the working of solar energy system and wind energy system. Solar power system can
be defined as the system that uses solar energy for power generation with solar panels.
Wind energy is also one of the renewable energy resources that can be used for
generating electrical energy with wind turbines coupled with generators.
Working:
During day time, Solar flat plate collector (PV array) collects solar radiation
and electricity is produced which is in form of DC power and it is directly stored in
battery. Solar controller or Charge controller prevents back flow of current in night
time when solar radiations are not available.
Wind turbine fan consisting of 2 or 3 blades that rotate due to blowing wind. A
gear box is used for converting energy from one device to another device using
mechanical method; and generator will produce electricity which is in the form of AC
power and this can be use directly for AC loads and extra amount of electricity is
converted from AC to DC by rectifier to store in the battery.
From battery electricity is supplied directly to DC loads and inverter is used to
convert DC power to AC Power to supply for AC loads.