Renewable Energy Technology

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 Renewable Energy Technology

RENEWABLE
ENERGY
TECHNOLOGY
(22661)
UPDATED
IMPORTANT
QUESTIONS


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CHAPTER 01

1. Explain alternate energy source. (Classify Alternative energy sources)

ANS. Energy sources can be classified in different ways. Here, the energy sources are classified as primary,
secondary and tertiary energy sources.

Accordingly, energy can be classified as primary energy, secondary energy and tertiary energy.

1. Primary energy sources:

 Primary energy sources can be defined as, "the energy sources, which only involve extraction or
capture from a material, before the energy contained or embodied in those sources can be converted
into heat or mechanical work".
 Primary energy sources are found in the natural environment.
 Primary energy can be defined as, "the energy, which is either extracted or captured from primary
energy sources found in nature, before it undergoes any transformation".
 Since primary energy sources appear or found in the natural environment, they can be used directly.
 For example: Fossil fuels like coal, crude oil, natural gas, solar energy, hydropower energy, wind
energy, biomass energy etc.

2. Secondary energy sources:

 Secondary energy sources are the energy sources obtained by transformation, as opposed to primary
energy sources, which are available in the natural environment and do not require transformation.
 Secondary energy sources can be defined as, "the energy sources, which result from transformation
of primary energy sources".
 In other words, secondary energy sources are derived from transformation of primary energy sources.
 For example: Solar energy is the primary energy source, which creates secondary energy sources,
especially heat and electricity.
 Secondary energy can be defined as, "the energy obtained from transformation of primaryenergy
sources".

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 Secondary energy cannot be harnessed directly from nature. • Secondary energy can be defined as,
"the most convenient form of energy, which is obtained by transformation of primary energy sources
through energy conversion processes".
 For example: Heat, Electricity, Petroleum products, Biofuels etc.
 Use of secondary energy sources is very easier as compared to primary energy sources.
 For example, using electricity for lighting is easier and safer than using lamps having oil.
 Secondary energy is easier to store and transport as compared to primary energy. Due to these
abilities, forms of secondary energy are called as energy carriers, because they can move the energy
in usable form from one place to another.
 For example: Electricity, Heat, Refined oil fuels (i.e. petroleum products) like petrol and diesel etc.

3. Tertiary energy sources:

 Tertiary energy sources are defined as, "the energy sources, which are not related to solar.
 For example: Geothermal energy, a type of heat energy, which comes from the inner side of energy
either directly or indirectly". our planet (Earth), i.e., from the superhot core. . Other examples: Tidal
energy, Nuclear energy etc.

1.4 EXAMPLES OF TERTIARY ENERGY SOURCES

 Tertiary energy sources are defined as, "the energy sources, which are not related to solar energy
either directly or indirectly".
 Examples: Tidal energy, Geothermal energy, Nuclear energy etc. Tertiary Sources of Energy
 Sources which are not related to sunlight (solar energy) directly or indirectly

Tidal Energy

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Tide is a periodic rise and fall of the water level of sea.

Tides occur due to the attraction of sea water by the moon.
The difference in water level between high and low tide is used for energy production. In simple words,
these tides can be used to produce electrical power.
When the level of water is above the mean sea level, it is called as high tide or flood tide.
When the level of water is below the mean sea level, it is called as low tide or ebb tide.
The difference in water level between the high tide and low tide is known as tidal range.
The tidal range varies greatly with location.
The sites with large tidal ranges are considered as suitable for power generation.
The maximum tidal range occurs at the time of full moon, i.e. spring tides.
Tidal energy can furnish a significant portion of all such energies, which are renewable in nature. The large
scale up and down movement of sea water represents an unlimited source of energy.
The total tidal energy of the world is estimated to be 3 x 10 MW. However, a fraction of this energy could be
recovered till date.

Geothermal Energy

 The word 'Geothermal' is a Greek word, which means "the heat of earth".
 Geothermal energy is defined as, "the internal heat energy available at a considerable depth below
surface of earth".
 Geothermal energy is the heat carried by high pressure steam coming from within the earth.
 In simple words, Geothermal energy is a thermal energy stored in the earth.
 It is a renewable source of energy derived from rain water in the earth, heated up to 180°C by hot
rocks.
 Geothermal energy is derived from huge amount of thermal energy present in the interior of earth.
The temperature at the centre of earth is around 3100°C.
 Approximately 94% of earth is molten. It has thin outer shell in the form of solidified rock having
thickness of 15 to 150 km.
 Fortunately, the crust of earth is excellent insulator allowing very little heat to reach the surface of
earth.
 However, the crust is also highly fractured, which creates conditions for the heat to approach close to
the surface of earth. This heat carried away by high pressure steam coming from within
 the earth is known as geothermal energy.
 The main drawback of geothermal energy is that, its recovery is not economically feasible and its
overall contribution in total energy requirement is negligible.
 However, being very important resource, the total installed electrical power generating capacity is
about 9000 MW.

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Nuclear Energy

 Nuclear energy is energy stored in the nucleus of an atom. Therefore, nuclear energy is also called as
atomic energy.
 In the nucleus of the nuclear fuel, the neutrons and protons are kept together in compact form and
energy required to keep them in bounded form is extremely large, which is known asbinding energy.
 In nuclear reactor, the nucleus of atom of nuclear fuel is broken by bombarding high energy neutron
from outside and the binding energy is released in the form of thermal energy (I.e. heat). This process
is called as nuclear fission.
 Nuclear Fission is defined as, "the process of splitting of a heavy nucleus into lighter nuclei with the
release of large amount of energy." The rate of heat release in nuclear reactor is extremely large as
compared to combustion chamber of steam power plant.
 The neutrons released during the fission cause further fission reactions of uranium nucleus, and this
chain reaction is continued and maintained under favorable conditions to generate Required quantity
of heat energy.
 Natural uranium U235 and isotopes of uranium, such as, u233 and Pu239 (Plutonium) are used as
nuclear fuels in nuclear reactors. They are also known as fissionable or fissile materials.
 Out of these, Natural uranium U235 exists in nature. It contains 0.71% of U235 and 99.29% of
 U223 and Pu229 are artificially produced from Thorium (Th) and Uranium (U23) respectively in fast
breeder reactors (FBRS).
 Th232 and U23 are known as fertile materials. ⚫ Nuclear energy can be used for peaceful purpose as
well as destructive purposes (as in the atomic bomb).
 Considering peaceful purposes, nuclear energy is used to generate electricity in nuclear power plants,
produce steam for driving machines, powering some submarines and space crafts.
 Considering present rate of consumption, uranium reserves are expected to last hardly for next 60
years. The major available sources of Uranium are in Australia, Canada and Kazakhstan.

2. Write different types of Renewable Energy Sources.

ANS.
Renewable energy uses energy sources that are continually replenished by nature—the sun, the wind, water,
the Earth’s heat, and plants.
Renewable energy technologies turn these fuels into usable forms of energy—most often electricity, but also
heat, chemicals, or mechanical power.

Renewable energy is energy produced from sources that do not deplete or can be replenished within a
human’s life time. The most common examples include wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, and
hydropower. This is in contrast to non- renewable sources such as fossil fuels.

Most renewable energy is derived directly or indirectly from the sun. Sunlight can be captured directly
using solar technologies. The sun's heat drives winds, whose energy is captured with turbines. Plants
also rely on the sun to grow and their stored energy can be utilized for bio-energy.

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3. State & Explain types of Solar Thermal System.

ANS.

CLASSIFICATION OF SOLAR THERMAL SYSTEMS :

 Solar thermal energy (STE) is a form of energy and a technology for harnessing solar energy to
generate thermal energy or electrical energy for use in industry, and in the residential and commercial
sectors.
 Solar thermal collectors are classified by the United States Energy Information Administration' as
low, medium, or high temperature collectors.
1. Low temperature collectors:
These collectors include following ways to trap solar energy:
(a) Glazed or unglazed collectors (walls): They are used to heat swimming pools or to heat ventilation
air in residential buildings.
(b) Solar chimney (or thermal chimney): It is a passive solar ventilation system composed of a hollow
thermal mass connecting the interior and exterior of a building. As the chimney warms, the air inside is
heated causing an updraft, which pulls air through the building.
(c) Solar process heating systems: They are designed to provide large quantities of hot water or space
heating for non-residential buildings.
(d) Evaporation ponds: The use of solar heat to obtain salt from sea water is one of the oldest
applications of solar energy.

2. Medium temperature collectors:

These collectors include following ways to trap solar energy:
(a) Solar water/air heaters: Use of flat plate collector for heating water or air for residential and commercial
use.
(b) Solar drying: Solar energy is used for drying food products such as fruits, grains and fish.
(c) Cooking: Concentrating solar cookers use reflectors to concentrate solar energy onto a cooking container.
The most common reflector geometries are flat plate, disc and parabolic trough type.
(d) Distillation: Solar stills can be used to make drinking water in areas, where clean water is not common.
Solar energy heats up the water in the still. The water then evaporates and condenses on the bottom of the
covering glass.

3. High temperature collectors:

Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST): Solar radiation is collected from a very large area and using carefully
arranged mirrors, the collected solar radiation is concentrated upon a single much smaller region, which is
called as receiver. The concentrated radiation absorbed by the receiver results in very high temperatures.
This heat is used for fulfilling heat requirements in industries. There are a few different engineering
techniques used to build large-scale CST systems: Parabolic troughs, Linear Fresnel reflectors, Solar towers
and Solar dishes.

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Concentrated Solar Power (CSP): When the heat collected using CST systems is used for power generation,
then it is known as Concentrated Solar Power systems. The heat is then used to produce electricity, usually
by heating water to steam, which drives a turbine coupled to an electric generator. CST can provide large-
scale grid level electricity production, because heat produced at a plant can be stored without using batteries

4. State & Explain with neat fig. Flat plate collector.

Ans.
The Liquid Flat Plate Collector
Important parts of a liquid flat plate collector are shown in Fig.
It's main components are:
1. Transparent covers
2. Absorber plate
3. Tubes fixed to absorber plate to form coolant passages.
4. Thermal insulation.
5. Casing or container

Fig. : Liquid flat plate collector

 It is box like structure. It consists of an absorber plate which receives beam as well the diffuse solar
radiations through transparent glass covers.
 The absorbed radiations are partly transferred to the liquid flowing through tube which are either
fixed to the absorber plate or they form an integral part of it.
 Remainder part of the radiant solar energy absorbed by the absorber plate is either re-radiated to the
surroundings through the top surface or it is lost by convection.
 Transparent covers made of glass are provided in one or more numbers for trapping the heat received
by the absorber plate. It helps in reducing the convective and radiation heat losses.
 Thermal insulation is provided at the bottom of tubing to minimize the heat losses by conduction.
 The flat plate collectors are used for low temperature applications upto 100°C. The liquid generally
used is water.
 In surroundings where the temperatures are below 0°C, water is mixed with ethylene glycol to avoid
freezing of water.

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 The Orientation of flat plate collector is kept at the latitude of the place it is installed to get the
maximum output.

5. Explain with neat fig. Parabolic collector, Dish type collector & solar towers.
Ans.
Parabolic Trough Reflector

 This type is line focussing type collector. The cross-section of a parabolic through reflector is shown
in Fig. In this type of collector, the solar radiations falling on the area of the parabolic reflector are
concentrated at the focus of parabola.
 When the reflector is manufactured in the form of a trough with parabolic cross-section, the solar
radiations gets focused along a line.
 Mostly cylindrical parabolic concentrators are used in which the absorber is placed along the focus
axis.
 In this the collector pipe is used as an absorber with a selective coating.
 Parabolic trough reflectors are usually made of highly polished or silvered glass or of a film of
aluminized plastic on a firm base.
 Instead of the reflector having a continuous form, the reflector may be made of a large number of flat
mirror strips on the parabolic firm base.

A parabolic trough or parabolic cylinder collector is shown in Fig.

6. Explain with neat fig. Thermo-syphon water heating system. (Natural circulation)
Explain domestic water heating system with neat sketch.
Ans.

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Schematic diagram of a simple, small capacity (up to 200 liters) capacity solar water heating system using
natural circulation Thermo-syphon water heating is shown in Fig.

The main components of this system are

1. Flat plate collector
2. Hot water storage tank
3. Overhead tank.
4. Supporting structure, piping and valves.

 A flat plate collector is installed facing south in northern hemisphere at an inclination equal to the
latitude of the place of installation
 Well-insulated hot water storage tanks with pipes having thick insulation are connected at the two
ends of the flat plate collector as shown in Fig.
 Storage tank is placed 30cm to 60cm height relative to top of solar collector
 It has an overhead tank and to supply cold water as make up water to hot water storage tank. The
system is well supported on a structure
 As the water is heated in the flat plate collector due to incident solar radiations, the hot water rises up
and flows naturally to the storage tank due to decrease in its density
 The colder water from the bottom of storage tank having higher density replaces the hot water

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 Thus the density difference of hot and cold water provides a driving force to set up the natural
convection for circulation of water through the storage tank and the solar collector.

 Therefore, such a system is a passive system since it does not need any pump to circulate the water in
the system

 Hot water for use is withdrawn from the top of storage tank as shown. Whenever, it is done, the
make-up cold water flows automatically from the overhead sank to the storage tank at its bottom.
 In order to provide hot water during long cloudy periods or during rainy days an electrical heating
system is provided back up system.
 It is more necessary particularly in places having cold climates where solar radiations are low.

Installation:
 For installation of these type of water heaters, it is important that the hot water storage tank is kept
above, the solar collector level at least by 0.4 m to 0.6 m. Leave at least 50 cm space from all sides
for movement of person to carry out the maintenance.
 These heaters are not used in cold climates like Europe where temperatures fall below 0°C without
the electrical heating to keep the temperatures above freezing point.
 Fig. shows the installation with valve and fittings. The pipes are well insulated to reduce heat losses.
 A drain valve is attached for draining the water from the tank so as to remove any sediments and
clearing of tank. The tempera pressure relief valve is provided to protect the system from excessive
pressures and overheating.

7. Explain with neat fig. Force circulation water system.

Ans.
Forced Circulation Solar Water Heating System(Commercial Type-Closed Loop)

 A forced circulation solar water heating system is schematically shown in Fig. It is also called as
pumped system.
 When the hot water requirements are large as in case of industrial water heating, hot water
requirement for community, hotels, hospitals etc, the natural water systems are not suitable.
 The forced circulation system is active system which uses a mechanical pump to circulate the hot
water.

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 The advantage of such a system is that the hot water storage tank can be placed at any convenient
location since the hot water circulation is forced.
 Water from storage tank is pumped through an array of solar collectors. When the water gets heated
in the collector, it flows back into the storage tank.
 A check valve (non-return valve) is provided in the solar collector to prevent the reverse flow of hot
water through the cold solar collector at night.
 Presently solenoid operated ball valves are preferred which operate only when the pump is under
operation.
 The pump is generally controlled by electronic differential controller which stops and starts at
predetermined temperature differential between the solar hot water temperature in storage tank and
the solar collector outlet temperature.
 Auxiliary electrical immersion heaters are provided in storage tank in cold climates or for heating the
water during cloudy and rainy days.

8. Explain in brief routine maintenance procedure for water heating system. (Write
maintenance procedure for commercial water heating system.)
Ans.
Maintenance of Solar Water Heaters
Before any maintenance is carried out, ensure that the solar water heater and conventional electric
heaters are off.
Following procedure is followed in quarterly inspection:

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1. Check that the solar water heater heats the water upto the temperature of thermostat setting within ± 2
C temperature range.
2. Check for all leakages and tighten all bolts and nuts. Replace any leaking valves and pipes.
3. Drain out the water from the tank so as to remove any sediments deposited.
4. Check for all electrical connections.
5. Clean the glass covers regularly to remove the dust from its surface to increase its performance.

Annual Inspection:
1. Shut off power supply.
2. Flush out water form storage tanks
3. Close drain valve.
4. Clean the tank if there is any scale formation.
5. Clean the outside tubes.
6. Spray heating coil of conventional heater with water hose under pressure to clean its surface.
7. Check the gasket condition if needed replace it. Once it is seated properly, tighten the nuts and bolts.
8. Clean the absorbers and connecting tubes.

9. State measure causes & remedies for failure of water heating system.

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10. State & explain with neat fig. Different types of solar dryers and state applications
lf each.

1. A Solar Dryer is another application of solar energy, used immensely in the food
and agriculture industry. Though sun is still used as the direct source for drying
food items and clothes in certain parts of the world.
2. An indirect source of solar power can also be used for the same purpose in the form
of a solar dryer. The main disadvantage of drying directly under the sun is

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contamination – dirt, animals, insects etc. Also there is a fear of sudden change in
weather conditions like wind or rain.
Solar Dryer can be classified as:
i) Direct Gain Type
ii) Indirect Gain Type
i) Direct Gain Type:

1. These type of solar dryers do not require any external power source for running a
fan or blower.
2. They are suitable for drying the foods on small scale e.g. conservation of grapes
into resins, drying of chilies, apricot, dates.
3. The cabinet solar dryer is shown in fig. which is natural convection type.
4. It has an enclosed cabinet having transparent glass covers at top & insulation is
provided at the bottom. The perforated tray is provided for keeping the food.
5. The inner surface of cabinet is coated with black colour and door is provided at rear
of the cabinet. Ventilation holes are also provided on the upper side of the dryer for
hot moist air to escape by natural convection.

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Forced Convection Solar Dryer (Direct Gain Type) Active Type or Forced Circulation
Type-

Solar dryers are used for large scale drying of food products since the passive or natural convection types solar
dryer are not found to be suitable.

A forced convection type solar dryer which uses direct solar radiations is shown in Fig.

ii) Forced Convection Solar Dryer - Indirect Gain Type

 Forced convection (indirect gain type) solar dryers are very efficient and faster. These can be used at low
as well at high temperature drying of large quantity of agricultural products like drying of food grains,
paddy, tea, coffee, tobacco etc.
 In direct type of solar dryers discussed above, the temperature of the product cannot be controlled since
solar radiations fall directly on the products.
 In order to control the temperature of drying, the indirect type forced circulation solar dryers invariably
use some kind of thermal storage. This type of solar dryer is shown in Fig.

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 The working is similar in principle to active hot air heating system. It consists of an array of solar
collectors in which the surrounding air is forced by a blower. The heated air is supplied to the dehydrator
for drying the products.
 The excess hot air is supplied to rock storage tank where the excess solar heat can be stored.
 The hot air temperature to the dehydrator can be controlled by passed fresh air with the help of dampers
and temperature controllers.
 The humid hot air is exhausted to surroundings after drying the food products in the dehydrator.

11. State the criteria used for selection of commercial water heating system.
Ans.

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12. Classify Solar Thermal System

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A) Passive system:
Passive system thermal energy system , the collection , storage & distribution of solar
thermal is done natural way.
B) Active system:
In an active , solar thermal energy system is collected by solar collect or eighter by
water , air or any other fluids.

OR

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#Classification of Solar Thermal Systems:

Solar Thermal Systems

Direct Application Indirect Application

1. Flat plate collectors 1. Wind Energy

2. Solar Concentrating Collectors 2. Tidal Energy
3. Solar Water Heating 3. Wave Energy
4. Heating & cooling of residential buildings 4. Geothermal Energy
5. Solar Cookers 5. Ocean Thermal Energy
6. Solar Distillation 6. Bio-mass & Bio-Gas
7. Solar Drying of Agricultural products 7. Hydrogen Energy
8. Solar Green Houses 8. Fuel Cells
9. Solar Systems for Power generation.
10. Solar Photo-Voltaic cell panel power plant.
11. Solar Furnaces.

13. Differentiate between flat plate collectors and Parabolic Collectors

Ans.

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14. Explain working of Solar dryer with neat sketch

Ans.

1) These are passive type solar dryers which do not use any external power for running a fan
2) This are suitable for drawing the foods products on small scats

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3) It has enclosed cabinet having transparent glass cover at the top & insulation provide at
bottom
4) The inner surfaces of cabinet are coal black.
5) Ventilation holes are provided at the bottom for fresh air to enter.

15. Explain with neat sketch the construction of Solar Tower. Describe central tower
receiving system with neat sketch.
ANS.

Working:

1) To collect large amount of heat energy at one point the central receiver concept is followed.
2) Solar towers have large number of heliostats which are spread over a large area.
3) Solar radiation is reflected from heliostats to centrally located tower in the receiver.
4) Each heliostats means an array of large number of mirrors
5) The word heliostats mean an array of large number of mirrors

Construction:
1) Heliostats are the sun tracking mirrors fixed on the ground.
2) Receiver are fixed on the top of tower which transferred heat energy to fluid. Receiver has variety of
shapes like cylindrical cavity etc. .
3) Heat transport system consist of pipes pumps and valves. Heat transfer take places in closed loop. The
system and molten salt are used to heat transfer fluids
4) Thermal storage is used to store the energy

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5) Power conversion system: The aim of the system is to convert thermal energy into electricity energy.

16. Write the standard installation procedure for Industrial Process heating
Application.
ANS)
1) Before complete installation do not switch on electric supply
2) Water tank & conventional heater is enclosed in 5 cm thick polymethine
3) For protection against excessive temp & pressure. It should be installed with temp & pressure relief valve
4) Heater should be placed on cleaned & hard ground
5) A control unit has pump switch & 2 preset temp sensor one each installed at exit pipe of collector &
another in tank
6) All valve & fittings should be tightened to avoid leakage
7) Proper heat exchange should be installed according to application
8) Check all the equipment & fitting properly.

17. List applications of solar dryer

1. solar dryer is used in drying spices like chillies, coriander, pepper, turmeric, dehydration of fruits and
vegetables like mango, sapota, grapes, banana, papaya amla, carrot, beeroot, potato, bitter gaurd and
many more.
2. it is very helpful in drying herbs like tulsi, neem and others which need to be protected from direct
sun lights.
3. The solar dryer is also used for medicinal plants, cashew, paddy, mushroom, tea leaves, coffee beans,
marine food, tobacco, wheat, seeds and many more applications wherever hot air is needed.
4. solar dryers are for livestock and dairy farming as they often need water and heating, like pig and
poultry farm raise animals in enclosed buildings, where it is necessary to carefully control the
temperature in winters and air quality to maximize the health and growth of the animals.
5. These facilities need to replace the indoor air regularly to remove moister, toxic gases, odors and
dust.

18. Draw labeled diagram of constructional feature of dish collector

PARABOLIC DISH COLLECTOR

 Paraboloid dish collector is said to be a point focusing type of solar concentrating because the
receiver is placed at the focal point of the paraboloid reflector.
 A point focusing type of collector has the ability to achieve high concentration ratios and
temperature.
 Paraboloid dish collector has a dish of parabolic shape, which tracks the sun and reflect the sunlight
to a single focal point.

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 The paraboloidal surface can concentrate all incident radiation parallel to its axis to a point focus,
where the receiver tube is positioned.
 A dish of diameter 6 m is constructed from 200 curved mirror segments forming a paraboloidal
surface.
 The absorber has a cavity shape made of zirconium-copper with a selective coating of black chrome.
 The concentration ratio ranges from 10 to a few thousands with maximum temperature up to 3000°C.
 In order to ensure proper incidence of radiation, the parabolic dish collector should be provided with
two axes tracking.
 By rotating the support structure about the vertical axis for dish alignment the dish is rotated about a
horizontal axis for elevation tracking as shown in Fig.
 The receiver absorbs the energy and converts it into thermal energy.
 This thermal energy can be used directly as process heat or it can be used to generate electricity.

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CHAPTER 02

1. Explain with neat fig. PV cells. (State the function of PV Cell )

ANS: A solar cell (also known as a photovoltaic cell or PV cell) is defined as an electrical device that converts
Solar energy into electrical energy through the photovoltaic effect. A solar cell is basically a p-n junction diode.

Working:

It is the direct conversion of light into electricity at the atomic level. The photovoltaic effect is a process that
generates voltage or electric current in a photovoltaic cell when it is exposed to sunlight. Photovoltaic cell
need to establish an electric field. Much like a magnetic field, which occurs due to opposite poles, an electric
field occurs when opposite charges are separated. To get this field, manufacturers dope silicon with other
materials, giving each slice of the sandwich a positive or negative electrical charge. Specifically they seed
phosphorous into the top layer of silicon, which adds extra electrons, with a negative charge, to that layer.
Meanwhile, the bottom layer gets a dose of boron, which results in fewer electrons, or a positive charge. This
all adds up to an electric field at the junction between the silicon layers. Then, when a photon of sunlight
knocks an electron free, the electric field will push that electron out of the silicon junction.

2. Classify solar Photovoltaic System.

Ans.
Classification of Solar Photovoltaic systems:

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3. Explain with fig. Different types of solar panels.

Ans.
SOLAR PANELS:
 Solar Panels are panels that are typically placed on a household’s roof to absorb energy from the sun.
The panels convert this energy (sunlight) into Direct Current electricity (DC electricity). This DC
energy is then fed into the inverter.

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 A number of solar panels working together is referred to as a Solar Array.

Types of Solar Panels:

Most of the solar panel options currently available fit in one of three types: Monocrystalline,
Polycrystalline and Thin-film. These solar panels vary in how they’re made, appearance,
performance, costs, andthe installations each are best suited for.

[Link] Solar Panels:

 If you see a solar panel with black cells, it’s most likely a monocrystalline panel. These cells
appear black because of how light interacts with the pure silicon crystal.
 While the solar cells themselves are black, monocrystalline solar panels have a variety of colors for
their back sheets and frames. The back sheet of the solar panel will most often be black, silver or
white, while the metal frames are typically black or silver.

[Link] solar panels:

 Unlike monocrystalline solar cells, polycrystalline solar cells tend to have a bluish pattern to
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them due to the light reflecting off the silicon fragments in the cell in a different way than it
reflects off a pure monocrystalline silicon wafer.
 Similarly to monocrystalline, polycrystalline panels have different colors for back sheets and
frames. Most often, the frames of polycrystalline panels are silver, and the back sheets are
either silver or white.

[Link]-film solar panels:

 The biggest differentiating aesthetic factor when it comes to thin-film solar panels is how thin
and low-profile the technology is. As their name suggests, thin-film panels are often slimmer
than other panel types. This is because the cells within the panels are roughly 350 times thinner
than the crystalline wafers used in monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels.
 It’s important to keep in mind that while the thin-film cells themselves may be much thinner
than traditional solar cells, an entire thin-film panel may be similar in thickness to a
monocrystalline or polycrystalline solar panel if it includes a thick frame. There are adhesive
thin-film solar panels that lie as-close-as-possible to the surface of a roof, but there are more
durable thin-film panels that have frames up to 50 millimeters thick.

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4. State and explain recent trends in Solar PV system.

Ans.
A brief an recent trends in PV system is given below:
1. Solar Skin Design:
One of the major drawbacks of solar industry is that most of the home owners consider the use osolar panels
as an unsightly view.
To overcome the above problem, same of the fire have created solar skin designs such that the solar panels
match the appearance of the roof without interfering with the panel efficiency or production. Therefore, solar
skin designs can provide aesthetic enhancement of the roof top of a building.

2. Solar Powered Roads

Solar powered roads have been developed in few countries by laying the solar panels en pavements of the
roads to generate clean power which can be used to light the note at night. It can also be used as thermal heat
to melt snow in winters in European and other countries where temperatures fall below 0 °C in winters.

3. Wearable Solar Device

A new technology has been developed to put tiny solar panels which can be stitched into the fabric of
clothing. These clothes can be worn or can be stitched in window curtains, for heating of car seats etc.

4. Solar Thermal Fuels

Lately researchers have come out with the alternative to solar energy storage to batteries called Solar Themal
Fuels (STF) These can harness the solar energy, store it as a charge and release it whenever required. Thus
with such a technology the solar energy can be made available as source of energy 24 hours a day.

5. Perovskiter Solar Cell (PSC)

 Researchers have found a new material called Perovskite which is a light sensitive crystal (like
methylammonium lead halide-an organic material).
 PSC is a solar cell made from organic material Perovskite and inorganic lead or tin halide based
material.
 At present its power conversion efficiency is about 25%. These cells are much thinner compared to
traditional silicon cell.
 These cells have very low production cost and there is a potential of achieving even higher
efficiency. The Perovskite solar cell technology may be the future for PV power generation.
 These cells are built up layer by layer like a sandwich with Perovskite layer for harnessing solar
light. The final layer of solar cell is gold which acts as electrode. The PSC's are also called as solar
cell sandwiches due to their method of construction.
 These cell use nanotechnology to improve their function.

Advantages of PSC's
1. Cost of production is very low compared to silicon based crystals.
2. It uses low temperature process compared to silicon crystal process in temperature range of 400°C
to 1400 °C.
3. These are flexible in nature hence their installation cost is low.

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6. Classify PV cells (Explain with neat fig. Solar stand-alone system.)

Ans.
Stand-Alone Photovoltaic Systems

 Stand-alone PV systems are designed to operate independent of the electric utility grid, and are
generally designed and sized to supply certain DC and/or AC electrical loads. These types of
systems may be powered by a PV array only, or may use wind, an engine- generator or utility
power as an auxiliary power source in what is called a PV-hybrid system.
 The simplest type of stand-alone PV system is a direct-coupled system, where the DC output of
a PV module or array is directly connected to a DC load (Figure 3). Since there is no electrical
energy storage (batteries) in direct-coupled systems, the load only operates during sunlight
hours, making these designs suitable for common applications such as ventilation fans, water
pumps, and small circulation pumps for solar thermal water heating systems.
 Matching the impedance of the electrical load to the maximum power output of the PV array is
a critical part of designing well-performing direct- coupled system. For certain loads such as
positive-displacement water pumps, a type of electronic DC-DC converter, called a maximum
power point tracker (MPPT), is used between the array and load to help better utilize the
available array maximum power output.

Figure 2. Direct-coupled PV system.

 In many stand-alone PV systems, batteries are used for energy storage. Figure 3 shows a
diagram of a typical stand-alone PV system powering DC and AC loads. Figure 4 shows how a
typical PV hybrid system might be configured.

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Figure 3. Diagram of stand-alone PV system with battery storage

poweringDC and AC loads.

Figure 4. Diagram of photovoltaic hybrid system.

7. State steps involved in maintenance of Solar Roof Top System.

Ans.
 Maintenance Of Solar Roof Top System:
Solar Operation & Maintenance services will encompass performing preventative maintenance on the
main components of a solar PV system:
• Solar Panels
• Battery
• Charge Controller
• Inverter
• Wiring and connections

01. Solar Panel Maintenance:

For a general cleaning, you can just use an ordinary garden hoseto wash the face of the panels. You
should do this in the morning or evening.
• Also, avoid spraying them with cold water while they are hotbecause that might damage
them.
• If the panels need some more cleaning that the hose cannotprovide, you can use a
sponge to scrub them.

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• Solar panel owners can also get the services of O&M personnel. This is advisable if the
panels are too high or needmore thorough cleaning.
• AVOID using a metal brush to clean solar panel surface,neither the detergents.
• A visual inspection of the modules can then be done to check for defects in the modules such
as cracks, chips, de-lamination, fogged glazing, water leaks and discoloration.

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02. Battery Maintenance:

 Batteries should be regularly and carefully maintained to extend their useful life. It is
advisable for the users to conduct inspections and cleaning of batteriesat regular intervals. 
 A visual inspection is recommended to assess the general condition of the
system’s battery. Make sure to check for any electrolyte leak, cracks in the batteries, or
corrosion at the terminals and connectors.
 The batteries should be kept clean, dry and free of electrolyte and corrosion
residue. Cleaning should be done once in a month. Also, it should be borne in mind that
before performing maintenance work, each component of the system should be isolated.

03. Charge Controller/Regulators

 Most of the renewable energy sources require Charge Controller/Regulators. It should be
kept in mind that any controller or regulator needs to be installed in a dry, clean and
ventilated space.
 The Charge Controller/Regulators is an electronic device that facilitates
in controlling the voltage of the charging sources energy output to the installed battery
bank.

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04. Inverter Maintenance:

The inverter should be installed in a clean, dry, and ventilated area which is separated from,
and not directly above, the battery bank. While the system is operating the following
operational checks can be made:
• Visually inspect inverters for any damage.
• Check connections for resistive joints.
• Check the DC voltage applied to inverter input.
• Ensure that there is free space aroundthe units for cooling purposes.
• Check for all the indicators such as LED lights are working and thatthe wires leading to
and from this device are not loose.
• This component can be maintained by minimizing dust accumulation.A dry cloth should be
used to wipe away any accumulated dirt/dust.
• Review the inverter display panel for any recorded faults (refer to themanufacturer’s
instructions for advice).

05. Wiring and Connections

• It is advisable to check the Wiring installations for any cracks, breaks or deterioration in the
insulation/conduits. Make sure to inspect the panel boxes to check for unwanted rodents and
insects. Also, examine the connections for any corrosion or burning. Switches should not spark
when turned on or off. The following sections of conduit and wiring should be checked for any
signs of damage:
• Solar panels to the charge controller
• Charge controller to the battery bank
• Inverter/charger to the battery bank
• Generator to Inverter/Charger
• Inverter/charger and Generator to the AC outlets
• Battery back to the DC outlets/load

8. Write a note on promotional schemes for SPV.

 Promotional Schemes from Government of India

Promotional schemes of Government of India for promoting maximum utilization of solar energy are briefly
discussed below.
1. Subsidy on capital cost:
For installation of Roof Top Solar plants (RTS) on rooftops and vacant areas of buildings in residential/
social/ institutional sectors, capital subsidy at the rate of up to 30% and 70% of project cost is given for
General Category States and Special Category States respectively.

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2. Incentive schemes:
The government of India is promoting solar energy through fiscal and promotional incentives, such as
capital subsidy, tax holiday on the earnings for 10 years, generation- based incentive, accelerated
depreciation, viability gap funding (VGF), financing solar rooftop systems as part of home loan, concessional
custom duty, exemption from excise duty, preferential tariff for power generation from renewables, and
foreign direct investment up to 100% under the automatic route etc.

3. As per Electricity Act (2003), stand-alone generation and distribution systems in rural areas are
delicensed.

4. Solar PV generation-based incentive:

 MNRE formed guidelines for generation based incentives for grid connected solar PV plants
in January 2008.
 The scheme was extended to all existing registered companies, Central and State power
generation companies and public/private sector PV power project developers.
 The scheme promoted grid connected power plants in excess of 1 MW of capacity at a single
location. The scheme was limited to 5 MW per developer across India and a maximum of 10
MW per state. According to this scheme, MNRE offered to provide, through IREDA, a
generation-based incentive of a maximum of 12/kWh to eligible projects.

5. Initiatives to promote solar PV in India:

The NREP-2006 policy aims at providing access to electricity to all households in the country and a
minimum 'lifeline' level of consumption of 1 unit (kWh) per household per day. The policy also mentions
that off-grid solar PV solutions may be deployed, where the supply of grid electricity is not feasible.

6. Concessional loans for RTS developers:

 As no Central financial subsidy is now available for private commercial and industrial sectors,
MNRE initiated the proposal for multilateral concessional loans from the World Bank (WB), Asian
Development Bank (ADB) and New Development Bank (NDB) to support RTS project developers.
 All the three multilateral banks have approved proposal for $1370 million concessional loans to State
Bank of India (SBI), Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Canara Bank respectively.
 Ministry of Finance has approved special guarantee fee for supporting RTS sector. These loans will
be available to project developers in Rooftop Solar sector through the above banks on concessional
rates.

7. SECI has undertaken competitive bidding at National level for 500 MWP grid connected rooftop
projects. CFA (subsidy) of 30% of the benchmark cost for residential, institutional and social sector
will be provided through SECI under this scheme.

8. The Financial Institutions and Financial Integrators i.e., NABARD, National Housing Banks, other
Banks, IREDA etc. may source funds from MNRE, their own resources or any other sources i.e.,
carbon credits, National Clean Energy Fund, funds from States, beneficiary contribution, other govt.
departments/agencies i.e., railways, defence/para military forces, local government bodies including
municipal corporations/municipalities, state departments etc.

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 Promotional Schemes from State Governments

The State Electricity Boards and respective agencies for solar energy play a key role implementation
at a state level.
1. Incentive scheme:

Independent of the efforts taken by various departments/agencies of Government of India, states are
also promoting the utilization of solar power by offering incentives.
For example:
(i) Maharashtra is promoting the installation of solar systems (considering life of 10 years) by
offering a feed-in tariff of 12/kWh for 10 years as incentive under Generation Based Incentive
scheme (GBI scheme).

(ii) Gujrat is promoting the installation of solar systems (considering life of 25 years) by offering a
feed-in tariff of 15/kWh for the first 12 years and 5/kWh for the following 13 years.

2. Subsidy on capital cost:

 Some State Governments also provide capital subsidy in addition to CFA provided by
MNRE.
 Thus, under the Chief Minister's Solar Rooftop Capital Incentive scheme tamil nadu
Government provides a capital subsidy of 20,000 per kilowatt for grid connected residential
solar PV systems in addition to the 30% subsidy scheme of MNRE.
 Similar capital subsidy is also being provided by the State Governments of Gujarat and
Chhattisgarh.

9. State & Explain with neat fig. Components & accessories of SPV.
Ans.
 A solar photovoltaic system is used to generate electricity with high power output. For this purpose, a
Photovoltaic array (i.e. PV array) is installed to receive solar energy and convert it in to electricity.
 Fig. 2.12 shows an illustrative view of a solar PV system, which can supply power to a house as well
as to the electric utility grid.
 Generally, solar photovoltaic systems are installed to supply power to a house. The direct current
(D.C.) is converted to alternating current (A.C.), which can be supplied to house for running
household appliances.
 In case of excess electricity (D.C.) produced, then it can be used to charge the battery for storage
purpose or if the battery is fully charged, then it can be sold/supplied to electric utility grid
 When the silicon is exposed to sunlight, electrical charges are generated; and this can be conducted
away by metal contacts as direct current (D.C.).
 The electrical output from a single cell is small. Therefore, multiple cells are connected and
encapsulated in glass cover to form a PV module, then PV panel and PV array.
 In addition to a PV array, a number of other components are required to properly conduct, control,
convert, distribute and store the electrical energy produced by the array.
 The specific components required for the system may include a D.C.-A.C. power inverter, battery
bank or storage, charge controller, auxiliary energy sources etc.

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 The major components of solar PV system are described below.

1. PV array:
 Number of solar photovoltaic panels are connected together to form a PV array.
 Function of PV array is to convert solar energy in to electric current with suitable voltage
output.
 Note that, solar PV system always produce direct current (D.C.).
2. Charge controller:
 Charge controller is also known as "Power Conditioning Unit (PCU)" or simply controller.
 It is required to protect batteries from over-charge and over-discharge.
3. Battery:
o Most of the PV systems use batteries for the purpose of storing electric energy
o generated by the PV array during the day.
 CI This stored electric current is supplied to electrical loads, when solar energy is not available.
o For example: During the night, periods of cloudy weather etc.
4. Inverter:
 Solar PV array always produce electricity in the form of direct current (D.C.) at 12 V.
 However, most of the household appliances and industrial processes require alternating
current (i.e. A.C.) at 240 V or 415 V for their operation.
 Therefore, an inverter is used to convert the low-voltage D.C. to high voltage A.C.
 In addition to above main components, the other components required in a typical PV system are the
array mounting structure, various cables and switches.
 Fig. 2.13 shows a solar photovoltaic system. Here, an inverter is shown in the photovoltaic system.
Function of inverter is to convert direct current (D.C.) generated in to alternating current (A.C.), so
that, A.C. power can be supplied to house for operating household

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10. State methods for selection of SPV accessories.

Ans. Solar PV system sizing
1. Determine power consumption demands
The first step in designing a solar PV system is to find out the total power and energy consumption of all
loads that need to be supplied by the solar PV system as follows:

2. Size the PV modules

Different size of PV modules will produce different amount of power. To find out the sizing of PV module,
the total peak watt produced needs. The peak watt (WP) produced depends on size of the PV module and
climate of site location. We have to consider panel generation factor which is different in each site location.
For Thailand, the panel generation factor is 3.43. To determine the sizing of PV modules, calculate as
follows:

2.1 Calculate the total Watt-peak rating needed for PV modules-

Divide the total Watt-hours per day needed from the PV modules (from item 1.2) by 3.43 to get
the total Watt-peak rating needed for the PV panels needed to operate the appliances.

2.2 Calculate the number of PV panels for the system-

Divide the answer obtained in item 2.1 by the rated output Watt-peak of the PV modules available
to you. Increase any fractional part of result to the next highest full number and that will be the
number of PV modules required.

3. Inverter sizing

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An inverter is used in the system where AC power output is needed. The input rating of the inverter should
never be lower than the total watt of appliances. The inverter must have the same nominal voltage as your
battery.
For stand-alone systems, the inverter must be large enough to handle the total amount of Watts you will be
using at one time. The inverter size should be 25-30% bigger than total Watts of appliances. In case of
appliance type is motor or compressor then inverter size should be minimum 3 times the capacity of those
appliances and must be added to the inverter capacity to handle surge current during starting.
For grid tie systems or grid connected systems, the input rating of the inverter should be same as PV array
rating to allow for safe and efficient operation.

4. Battery sizing
The battery type recommended for using in solar PV system is deep cycle battery. Deep cycle battery is
specifically designed for to be discharged to low energy level and rapid recharged or cycle charged and
discharged day after day for years. The battery should be large enough to store sufficient energy to operate
the appliances at night and cloudy days. To find out the size of battery, calculate as follows:

4.1 Calculate total Watt-hours per day used by appliances.

4.2 Divide the total Watt-hours per day used by 0.85 for battery loss.
4.3 Divide the answer obtained in item 4.2 by 0.6 for depth of discharge.
4.4 Divide the answer obtained in item 4.3 by the nominal battery voltage.
4.5 Multiply the answer obtained in item 4.4 with days of autonomy (the number of days that you
need the system to operate when there is no power produced by PV panels) to get the required
Ampere-hour capacity of deep-cycle battery.

Battery Capacity (Ah) = Total Watt-hours per day used by appliances x Days of autonomy
(0.85 x 0.6 x nominal battery voltage)

5. Solar charge controller sizing

The solar charge controller is typically rated against Amperage and Voltage capacities. Select the solar
charge controller to match the voltage of PV array and batteries and then identify which type of solar charge
controller is right for your application. Make sure that solar charge controller has enough capacity to handle
the current from PV array.
For the series charge controller type, the sizing of controller depends on the total PV input current which is
delivered to the controller and also depends on PV panel configuration (series or parallel configuration).
According to standard practice, the sizing of solar charge controller is to take the short circuit current (Isc)
of the PV array, and multiply it by 1.3
Solar charge controller rating = Total short circuit current of PV array x 1.3

11. Write maintenance procedure for solar Stand-alone street light.

Ans.
Maintenance of Stand-Alone Street Lamp or Light

If properly maintained, then a solar electric system requires very little maintenance over long time period.

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The best maintenance practice is to make regular inspections of the equipment (especially the batteries and
modules), to make sure that, things are kept clean and all electrical contacts are tight.

[Link] Maintenance:

 Sealed lead-acid batteries are used for the stand alone street light systems.
 Though the cost of sealed lead-acid battery is little more per storage capacity, but it requires very
little maintenance. Therefore, sealed lead-acid batteries are known as "maintenance-free" batteries.
 This type of battery does not have an electrolyte top-up facility, and it is important to avoid any
overcharge, which would electrolyze the water. However, at the end of the charge, a small amount of
hydrogen may escape through the valves and oxygen may diffuse from thepositive electrode to the
negative electrode, where it chemically recombines.
 On an average, life of batteries is about 5 to 8 years.

General procedure of battery maintenance:

I. Turn OFF or disconnect the solar charge.
II. Disconnect the battery from the leads and remove the terminals from the posts.
III. Clean the top and external surfaces of the battery with water (do not allow water to enter the cells).
IV. Clean the terminals and the posts until they are shiny.
V. If the terminals are corroded (l.e. they are covered with a white powder), clean them carefully with a
solution of baking powder and water. If the terminals are badly corroded, then replace them.
VI. Now, fix the cleaned terminals and tighten the bolts. Apply petroleum jelly or grease to connected
terminals.

2. Module Maintenance:

 Modules require minimum maintenance, because they do not have any moving parts.
 Keeping the glass surface clean is the most important task. Dust will reduce the electric output of
module.
 Clean the module with water and a mild soap (if necessary).
 Similarly shading will also reduce the electric output of module. Therefore, do not allow a plant or a
tree to shade the solar PV panel.

3. Checking Connections:

It is important to check the wiring of the system at least once a year, especially in places, where the chances
of damage by rats, insects etc. are more.

Detailed procedure of checking connections is given below:

I. Inspect the control box and make sure that, the wiring is tight.
II. Check the tightness of all connections. Make sure that, no bare wire (i.e. wire without insulation) is
visible.
III. Inspect junction box and clean it properly.
IV. Check the switch. There should not be any sign of spark.
V. Check the indicator lamps on the control and also check whether the other LED indicators are
working properly.

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VI. Check the grounding wires to make sure that, they are all intact. 2.34.3 Advantages and
Disadvantages of Solar Street Lights

12. Name different types of batteries used for solar photovoltaic system

 Storage batteries are used for storage of the solar energy. They are the most vital components of the
SPV system.
 They are very essential to cater for the variations in the solar energy received and also the hours of no
sunshine. The success of the SPV system depends to a great extend on the storage system.
 The main qualities required in batteries for use in SPV system are:
o Ability to withstand several charge discharge cycles.
o Low self discharge rate.

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o Need very little or no maintenance.

1. Battery capacity

 Capacity of a battery is the total amount of electrical energy it can store. It is specified in AH
(Ampere Hours). Thus, a 65 AH battery can supply current at the rate of 1 Amp for 65 Hours or 65
Amp for 1 Hour.

 This will discharge the battery completely. But a battery should not be discharged fully. Generally
discharge should be stopped at 70% of the capacity.
 Capacity of the battery is affected by temperature.
 Approximately there is a reduction of 0.6% for every °C rise in temperature above 25°C. Once
discharged batterie should not be left uncharged for too long. With increase in depth of discharge the
charge/discharge reduces drastically.

Types of Batteries

1) Lead Acid Batteries

 These are very commonly used. They consist of 2 V cells.

 When fully charged the positive electrode is a plate of lead oxide and the negative is spongy lead. The
electrolyte is dilute sulphuric acid.
 During discharge both plates get converted to lead sulphate.
 The specific gravity of sulphuric acid reduces. When it reaches 1.15, discharge should be stopped.
 For charging, current is passed through the battery in the reverse direction.
 This converts the electrodes back to its initial condition and the specific gravity of sulphuric acid
increases.
 Charging should be stopped when the specific gravity reaches 1.25.

2) Nickel Cadmium Batteries

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 These are much costly compared to Lead Acid Batteries. The electrodes are:
o Positive - Nickel packed with Nickel Hydroxide
o Negative - Cadmium immersed in Aqueous Potassium Hydroxide
 The advantages of these are:
1. No need for electrolyte - no spilling and freezing.
2. Less sensitive to temperature.
3. Less sensitive to rate of discharge.
4. Battery can remain discharged for long without charging.

13. Explain the installation procedure for solar roof Top system.
ANS.

Installation of solar roof top system

1) Mounting structures made of aluminum are well grounded on roof top to take load of PV panels & also
wind loads
2) Install PV panels in south direction at lift angle for maximum absorption of radiation
3) Solar modules are fixed on mounting structures with help of nut & bolts
4) Series connection is used to match with the voltage of battery bank
5) Connect the solar wire panel with inverter and connect the positive wire to positive & negative to negative
6) Join inverter with battery bank and connecting battery with home connection
7) The inverter and battery room should be separate room with proper ventilation

14. Explain the term: Net Metering

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ANS:
Net Metering can be defined as billing machine which gives credits to owners of solar energy system for
electricity, they add to the utility grid network.
For example
Suppose a residential customer has a solar P.V system on roof his/her house and a bi-directional meter is
fitted to the house instead of convention un-directional meter.
Now there are two possibilities.
1) Solar PV system may generate more electricity than the electricity consumed by electrical appliances of
house during daylight hour. Then the excess amount of electricity generated is sent to utility grid network. In
such case the meter will run backwards
2) Solar PV system is unable to generate electricity during night hours. Then the residential customer will
use the electricity provide by utility grid to fulfil demand of electricity. In such case the meter will run
forward.
Since the bi-directional meter works in two directions
i) One way to measure of electricity purchased from utility grid
ii) Second way to measure of electricity returned to utility grid
The customer has to pay the bill for the differences between purchased and electricity returned. This
differences is called as net energy use and the billing mechanism is called as net metering .

15. Write different methods of Battery selection

Ans.

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The different methods of Battery Selection:

16. Define term 8 Battery rating

Ans.
A battery’s charge and discharge rates are controlled by battery Rates. The battery Rating is the measurement
of current in which a battery is charged and discharged at.

17. State the function of PV Cell

Ans. A solar cell (also known as a photovoltaic cell or PV cell) is defined as an electrical device that
converts Solar energy into electrical energy through the photovoltaic effect. A solar cell is basically a p-n
junction diode.

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State various promotional schemes offered by Central and State Governments

for solar PV systems.

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CHAPTER 03

1. State different types of wind energy system.

Ans.
CLASSIFICATION OF WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS

Wind energy systems are classified in various ways as mentioned below.

In addition to horizontal axis and vertical axis, wind turbines or windmills,

1. According to axis of rotor:

I. Horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT).
II. Vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT).

2. According to capacity:
I. Small wind energy systems.
II. Large wind energy system.

3. According to application:
I. Commercial wind energy systems.
II. Domestic wind energy systems.

4. According to arrangement:
I. Stand alone wind energy systems.
II. Grid connected wind energy systems.

Fig. 3.4: Types of wind energy systems

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2. Explain with neat figure grid connected wind energy system.

Ans.
GRID-CONNECTED SYSTEMS

 Grid-connected systems are the small wind energy systems, which are connected to the local electric
power utility grid (i.e. electricity distribution system). Refer Fig.
 A grid-connected wind turbine can reduce consumption of utility-supplied electricity for lighting,
appliances, and electric heat.
 If the turbine cannot deliver the amount of energy needed, the local electric power utility grid makes
up the difference.
 When the wind system produces more electricity than the household requirements, the excess is sent
or sold to the local electric power utility grid.
 In grid-connected systems, the only additional equipment required is a power conditioning unit, i.e.
an inverter, which makes the turbine output electrically compatible with the local electric power
utility grid.
 Usually, batteries are not needed for grid connected systems.

Fig. 3.7: Grid connected wind energy systems

 Practicability of Grid-Connected Wind Energy Systems

Grid-connected systems can be practical, if the following conditions exist:

1. You live in an area with average annual wind speed of at least 4.5 m/s.

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2. Electricity supplied by local electric power utility grid is expensive in your area.
3. The requirements of local electric power utility grid for connecting your system to its grid are not
prohibitively expensive.
4. There are good incentives for the sale of excess electricity or for the purchase of wind turbines.

 Minimum Protection Systems for Grid-Connected Systems

All the grid connected wind energy systems must have protection systems to protect the wind farm
equipment as well as the grid, such that, no part of system shall remain unprotected during faults.
The following are the minimum protection schemes, which shall be installed for wind farm protection:
1. Under /over voltage and frequency protection.
2. Over current and earth fault protection.
3. Load unbalance (negative sequence) protection.
4. Differential protection for the grid connecting transformer.
5. Capacitor bank protection.
6. Tele-protection channels (for use with distance protection) between the grid connections point circuit
breaker and user connection point circuit breaker.

3. Explain with neat figure stand-alone wind energy system.

Ans.
STAND-ALONE SYSTEM

 Stand-alone systems (I.e. The systems not connected to the local electric power utility grid) require
batteries to store excess power generated for use, when the wind is calm.
 They also need a charge controller to keep the batteries from overcharging.
 Deep-cycle batteries, which are designed to provide extended usage of the battery, when discharged
up to 50% of their capacity, makes them a good option for remote renewable energy systems.
 Automotive batteries are shallow-cycle batteries and should not be used in renewable energy systems
because of their short life in deep-cycling operations.
 Small wind turbines generate direct current (D.C.) electricity.
 In very small systems, D.C. appliances operate directly off the batteries.
 However, one can use an inverter to convert D.C. current from the batteries to AC current, in order to
run household appliances, which use conventional alternating current (A.C.).

 Practicability of Stand-Alone Wind Energy Systems

Stand-alone systems can be practical, if the following conditions exist:

1. You live in an area with average annual wind speed of at least 4 m/s.
2. Grid connection is not available or available at higher cost.
3. You are interested in gaining energy independence from grid connected utilities.
4. You understand the intermittent nature of wind energy and have a strategic plan to meet energy
demands.

 Applications of Stand-Alone Wind Energy Systems

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1. Electricity generation for recreational vehicles, residential space heating for cold areas.
2. Water pumping in conjunction with either piston pump or centrifugal pump.
3. Desalination of sea water.
4. To power small clinic,buildings etc.

4. Draw neat fig of small horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWTs). (State and explain
components of small horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWTs) ). With the help of
neat sketch, explain electricity generation by horizontal axis wind machine
Ans.
SMALL HORIZONTAL AXIS WIND TURBINE

Construction:

All wind systems have the following basic components:

1. Tower structure:
It supports the rotor, generator, nacelle and other components in the nacelle. Smaller wind turbines may use
lattice or tubular towers. Smaller wind turbines may have towers of height equal to several times the rotor
diameter, so as to place the rotor in higher wind speeds and eliminate the effects of ground shear and
turbulence.

2. Rotor:
To extract energy from wind and convert it into rotational motion.

3. Nacelle:
The nacelle houses the gearbox, generator, high and low speed shafts, brakes and control equipment.

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Fig.: Different parts of small horizontal wind turbine

4. Generator:
To convert mechanical energy into electricity.

5. Speed controls system:

Pitch control rotates the blade as the rotor speeds-up tomaximize lift and power to the shaft. Pitch control is
also used to reduce lift and power, when the turbine reaches maximum-rated power. When wind speed
exceed rated values, the pitch is changed to stall (l.e. to stop) the blade and act as a brake.

6. Yaw control:
Small HAWT have tails to keep the rotor facing directly into the wind.

Working:

 In the HAWTS, the rotor must be kept facing perpendicular to the flow of the wind to capture
maximum energy.
 Yaw control mechanism continuously keeps the rotor facing directly into the wind. Many types of
systems have been developed to control yaw, including the tail vane used by small wind turbines. The
tail vane also acts as a brake, when high winds occur by rotating the rotor (axis) perpendicular to the
wind direction. Downwind machines use the nacelle as a wind vane.
 The rotor consists of two or more blades made up of materials like wood, fiberglass or metal. The
rotor and its blades convert the wind power to a rotational mechanical power. In general, the wind
turbines have three blades.
 The lift force is generated due to the pressure difference in two sides of the rotor blade. The shape of
the rotor blade and their angle of attack (angle between wind direction and chord of the blade) effects
on the performance of the rotor blade. As per the Betz limit, the theoretical maximum power
efficiency of any wind turbine is 59 %.
 The rotating blades are transmitting the power to the gear box (driver gear) through rotor from the
shaft.
 The gearbox increases the rotational speed of the rotor (30 to 60 r.p.m.) to the synchronous speed of
the generator (1,200 to 1,800 r.p.m.).
 In gear box, the straight bevel gear mechanism is used, which consists of driver and driven gears. The
driver gear is transmitting power to the driven gear.
 Finally, the gear box is transmitting power to the generator through shaft in driven gear.
 The generators can be synchronous or induction connected directly to the grid or a variable-
frequency alternator (permanent magnet alternator) or direct current generator connected indirectly to
the grid through an inverter.
 The Tip Speed Ratio (TSR) is an important factor in the wind turbine. The TSR refers to the ratio
between the speed of the tips of the wind turbine blades and the wind speed. The TSR is related to
efficiency, the higher tip speed gives higher noise levels and require strong blades. For three blades,
the optimum TSR is around 4 to 5.

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5. Write specification of HAWT

Ans.

6. Explain the importance of Small Vertical Axis wind Turbines.

Ans.

The Important of small vertical Axis wind Turbines

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1) Its does not need any yaw control mechanism since vanes of wind mill can accept the wind from any
direction
2) Its does not need to support nacelle on top of tower since the gear box , brakes , generators are located on
ground
3) Overall cost of wind mill is less
4) The cost of maintenances is also less
5) Design of whole structure is comparatively less

7. Explain with neat sketch working of VAWT. ( Draw neat fig of small vertical axis
wind turbine (VAWTs). (State and explain components of small Vertical axis wind
turbine (VAWTs)).

Ans.

➢Vertical Axis wind Turbine (VAWT) is also known as vertical axis wind mill.
➢Large vertical axis wind mill or VAWT consist of darrious type rotor, blades, support structure enclosing
gear box, generator brakes, electrical switchgears, and control.
➢Tower is hollow vertical rotor shaft, which rotates freely about the vertical axis from the top-bottom
bearing. It is installed above a support structure
➢The upper part of the tower is support by guy ropes.
➢The height of tower of large turbine is around 100 meters
➢Vertical axis wind mill or VAWT has two or three thin blades. These blades should be in curved in such
way that, the bending stress induced due to centrifugal forces are minimized.

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➢The blades have an air foil cross-section with constant chord length.
➢Here, pitch of blades cannot be changed
➢The diameter of rotor is slightly less than tower height
➢The support structure is provide at a ground to support the weight of the rotor.
❖ Air strikes on blades & rotates them with high velocity & rotates shaft
❖ This rotational motion is given to generator
❖ The generator convert the shaft rotations into electricity

08. Write in detail the maintenance procedure of large Horizontal axis wind turbine .
(Explain steps for maintenance procedure of wind mill system.)

MAINTENANCE PROCEDURE OF WIND TURBINES

 Maintenance can be defined as, "the combination of all prescribed technical and associated
administrative actions performed to retain a system, so that, it will be restored to a state, in which, it
can perform its required function."
 In simple words, maintenance action is, nothing but, the prescribed operative process to correct an
equipment failure, when the equipment fails to operate.
 Fig. 3.14 shows the failure event, that occurs in a typical large or small wind turbine, which may be
horizontal axis type or vertical axis type.
 The wind turbines are typically designed to operate for a period of 20 years. Usually, the
manufacturer provides warranty to cover repair and replacement cost in the initial period of 2 to 5
years. Over the expiry of this period, various subsystems need to be maintained to avoid breakdown
of machine.
 Persons, who attend to the breakdown of the turbine, should have the requisite experience, knowledge
of the turbine systems, past history etc.
 The speed, with which, one identifies the cause of the fault and its location and comes up with a
solution is a measure of the efficiency of operation. However, what is more critical is avoiding
repetitive faults or sequential failures of other parts of system.
 Therefore, adequate training for the operation and maintenance staff is highly necessary for the
success of the wind energy project.
 The extent of training depends upon the type of wind power plant and also the experience of the staff
working on the plant.
 In general, the training may be carried out at two levels:
1. Theoretical training for professional staff for performing managerial functions of the project.
2. Practical training for skilled technicians responsible for operation and maintenance of the wind
energy conversion system.
 Corrective maintenance refers to mass replacement, repair or modification of a sub-system.
 The design team initiates this activity after reports of premature failures.

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 The operation and maintenance procedure should be based on guidelines specified by the wind
turbine supplier and any other suppliers. This is necessary for the effective performance of the wind
energy conversion system. However, in general, the maintenance includes the following elements:
1. Routine checks
2. Periodic maintenance
3. Periodic testing
4. Blade cleaning
5. Electrical equipment maintenance
6. Unscheduled maintenance.

 Generally, maintenance is divided into three categories.

1. Corrective maintenance:

o Corrective maintenance is carried out after a failure has occurred.

o This means that, the working of wind mill has to be stopped, until the failed component is either
repaired or replaced by a new one.

2. Preventive maintenance:

o Preventive maintenance activity is carried out at predetermined schedule to reduce the probability of
failure or the degradation of the functioning equipment.
o Preventive maintenance activities are planned and periodical.
o Preventive maintenance can be divided into two categories:

(i) Indirect preventive maintenance: It includes activities, which can be executed during operation
and that will not affect the object (component, equipment). This include inspecting various
components of the wind energy system using condition- based monitoring (CBM). The condition
monitoring could be used to get a constant monitoring of various subsystems

(ii) Direct preventive maintenance.

3. Improvement maintenance:

Improvement maintenance is the program of initiatives taken to improve reliability from a maintenance
aspect. Reconditioning of equipment to increase capacity is not an improvement Maintenance.

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9. Write specifications of VAWT.

10. State four advantages and limitations of VAWT over HAWT . (Differentiate
between HAWT & VAWT.)

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CHAPTER 04

1. Draw neat fig of micro hydro power plant.

ANS.

2. State and explain components of micro hydro power plant. (Name any four
components of Micro Hydro Power System.)
ANS)
1. Forebay
A forebay is a basin area of hydropower plant where water is temporarily stored before going into intake
chamber. The storage of water in forebay is decided based on required water demand in that area. This is also
used when the load requirement in intake is less.
2. Intake Structure
Intake structure is a structure which collects the water from the forebay and directs it into the penstocks.
3. Penstock
Penstocks are like large pipes laid with some slope which carries water from intake structure or reservoir to
the turbines. They run with some pressure so, sudden closing or opening of penstock gates can cause water
hammer effect to the penstocks.
4. Surge Chamber
A surge chamber or surge tank is a cylindrical tank which is open at the top to control the pressure in
penstock. It is connected to the penstock and as close as possible to the power house.

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5. Hydraulic Turbines
Hydraulic turbine, a device which can convert the hydraulic energy into the mechanical energy which again
converted into the electrical energy by coupling the shaft of turbine to the generator.
6. Power House
Power house is a building provided to protect the hydraulic and electrical equipment
7. Draft Tube
If reaction turbines are used, then draft tube is a necessary component which connects turbine outlet to the
tailrace. The draft tube contains gradually increasing diameter so that the water discharged into the tailrace
with safe velocity. At the end of draft tube, outlet gates are provided which can be closed during repair
works.
8. Tailrace
Tailrace is the flow of water from turbines to the stream. It is good if the power house is located nearer to the
stream. But, if it is located far away from the stream then it is necessary to build a channel for carrying water
into the stream.

3. Explain steps for maintenance procedure of micro hydro power plant.

ANS)
Micro Hydro Power Maintenance:
(1)Firstly , check whether all components are completed and the intake of pen stock is blocked.
(2)Then check whether the runner of turbine can be easily rotated ,and rotated in by hand to ensure the
voltage meter has readings(put the output switch in OFF position).
(3)For the first starting ,the output switch should be put in the voltage-stabilized control position(A),then
open the gate to let water out from small to large, observe the readings meter till 220v or so continue
enhancing water volume, the voltage device is reliable if the reading keep still, At this time the load can be
connected ,then adjust the water volume to hold the output of 220v or so .Once the stabilizing device break
down, put the switch in B ,then the voltage of unit will be under manual-controlled, you may follow the next
procedure to control by valve.
(4)During the operation, the load should be kept stable as possible as can be. Don’t shut off the load
suddenly, or else the high voltage will burn out the rest load, if you must disconnect the load, you may
decrease water to small volume at first, then disconnect the most part of load when the voltage has dropped
to below 220v(you must do as this even you run the unit under the using of voltage-stabilizing device).
(5)It need only close the valve to switch off the unit when the load has been stable after first operation, The
power switch may hold on so that you may adjust voltage up to 200-220v directly for next running.
(6)To check and clean the mud and foreign material blocking in the intake house and trash rack.
(7)the frame of unit should be injected water-proof grease by using grease cup in every three months ,each
time rotating for three times. The upper bearing also should be added water-proof grease for every six
months.
(8)The generator must be conducted the dry treatment before next start if it became wet.

4. Write maintenance procedure of Micro hydro Power system.

Ans.

 In order to operate micro hydro power plants in good condition for a long period, waterway
facilities, electric equipment, transmission and distribution lines should be maintained properly.
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 Operators must try to observe even small troubles and prevent accidents of facilities.
 For this purpose, daily patrols and periodic Inspections are essential and recording and keeping of
those data are also important.
 Though items and frequency of patrols and inspections should be decided considering conditions of
facilities and ways of use, general maintenance of micro hydro power plants is as follows:
 Preventive maintenance is planned maintenance of plant and equipment. It is designed to improve
equipment life and avoid any unplanned maintenance activities.
 Preventive maintenance is the inspection, replacement, repair of any piece of equipment or
component based on time and set parameters.
 It includes painting, lubrication, cleaning, adjusting and minor component replacement to extend the
life of equipment and facility.
Its main purpose is to minimize break down and excessive deterioration
 This type of maintenance ensures ability to judge, when a piece of equipment is going to fail and
replace the same before it does.
 Usually it requires some form of testing and analysis, which helps In predicting an eminent failure.
 Predictive maintenance can be used in conjunction with preventive maintenance practices. In hydro
power station, there are many monitoring systems, which can be used to predict problems and
possible failures.
 These include vibration monitoring, oil analysis, temperature, systems ampere readings, resistance
readings of motors, efficiency in power generation output, leakages of OIL and water.
 All of these things can be captured and tracked by computer system. The analysis of data can predict
the future.

MAINTENANCE GUIDELINES FOR MICRO HYDRO POWER PLANT:

A) DAILY:

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B) Periodic Inspection:

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5. Write installation procedure for Micro hydro power systems in brief ( State
installation procedure for micro hydro power plant. )

ANS)
Step(1): Planning a micro hydro power scheme and selecting site: The definitive project or scheme comes
out as a result of a complex process involving iterations, where consideration is given to an environmental
impact and different technological options.
1) Topography and geomorphology of the site.
2) Evaluation of the water recources and its generating potential
3) Site selection and basic layout
4) Hydraulic turbines and generators and their control
5) Environmental impact
6) Economic evaluation of the project and financing potential

Step(2): Plant layout, Transport of the water and Measurement

• • Layout of the plant: It is crucial to prepare the map of land area, on which, he facility is to be
constructed. On this map, the layout of the plant is outlined. This exercise will enable to check best possible
ways to direct the water, identify the components of the plant in the landscape etc.

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• • Solution for water transport: water is transported from the diversion weir to power house.
Depending upon the specific physical features of area, all the possible options for transporting the water from
diversion weir up to the power houses are evaluated.

• Measurement: following are important parameters should be measured on the site

(i) Flow and velocity measurement
(ii) Head measurement
(iii) Performing power calculations.
Step(3): Civil work commissioning
1) Diversion weir:

2) Intake construction with trash rack installation

• Channels
• Spillways
• Forebay
3) Penstock installation
4) Gates have to installed
5) Design of power house
Step(4): Installation procedure for turbine and power house:
1) Work on selected site
2) Construction of intake channel & turbine house
3) Finishing the intake channel
4) Finishing the turbine house
5) Installing the draft tube in spaces
6) Installing the turbine
7) Connect and fit all Parts

6. List the applications of Micro Hydro power systems.

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ANS)
Application of micro-Hydro Power system
1) Domestic lighting
2) Cooking
3) Operation of Radio & TV
4) Fertilizer production
5) Production of electricity
6) Argo processing
7) Cooling
8) Heating
9) Drying
10) Fabrication
Micro-hybrid power system are small hydropower plants that generators capacity is less than 10KW.

7. State the necessity of Micro Hydro Power system

Ans.

 To face the present energy crisis, development of mini hydropower plant (minimum 5 m ton20 m
head) and micro hydropower plant (less than 5 m head) is seriously studied.
 Approximately 2000 sites have been identified for small hydropower plant in India with anpotential
of 5000 MW.
 Small hydro power plant is more significant as compared to other renewable like wind, solar,
biomass, due to its availability for power generation.
 Even run-off river schemes can have small pondage to meet the daily power requirement. It requires
very little requirements of facilities. It enables quicker electricity and financial returns.
 Mainly, hydropower sites are available at sluices admitting water to the cannels
fornirrigationnpurposes.
 At sluice inlets, lot of energy is wasted because, it cannot be utilized and rather costly civil works
have to be undertaken to dissipate this energy, which can be harmful.
 To overcome this difficulty with an advantage of getting more power, the need aims to set up a small
hydropower house.
 Due to recent advancement in designs of low head turbines and improvements in construction
technology, small hydro resources have also become feasible of generating electricity.
 The major difference between a small and large hydro plant is that, the small hydro can be designed
and built by local staff and organization using locally made machinery.
 Micro hydro schemes are used in the remote areas, where electric utility grid (transmission lines)
does not exist. Typically, they provide power to rural community and industries. Thus, micro hydro
schemes make small contribution to the national electricity grid supply

8. Explain Working Principle of Micro-Hydro power system

Ans.
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Working Principle of Hydroelectric Power Plant :

 The water turbine changes the kinetic energy of the falling water into mechanical energy at the
turbine shaft.
 In simple words, falling water spins the water turbine. The turbine drives the alternator coupled with
it and converts mechanical energy into electrical energy

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CHAPTER 05
1. State difference between biogas and biodiesel.
Ans.

2. State classification of Bio-fuels (Classify Bio-fuels ) List various sources of

Bio Fuel.
Ans.
Classification According to Generations

Biofuels are generally classified as first, second and third generations:

First-generation biofuels are made from sugar, starch, vegetable oil, or animal fats using conventional
technology. These are generally produced from grains high in sugar or starch fermented into bioethanol; or
seeds that which are pressed into vegetable oil used in biodiesel. Common first-generation biofuels include
vegetable oils, biodiesel, bioalcohols, biogas, solid biofuels, syngas.

Second-generation biofuels are produced from non-food crops, such as cellulosic biofuels and waste
biomass (stalks of wheat and corn, and wood). Common second-generation biofuels include vegetable oils,
biodiesel, bioalcohols, biogas, solid biofuels, and syngas. Research continues on second-generation biofuels
including biohydrogen, biomethanol, DMF, Bio-DME, Fischer-Tropsch diesel, biohydrogen diesel, mixed
alcohols and wood diesel.

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Third-generation biofuels are produced from extracting oil of algae – sometimes referred to as “oilgae”. Its
production is supposed to be low cost and high-yielding – giving up to nearly 30 times the energy per unit
area as can be realized from current, conventional ‘first-generation’ biofuel feedstocks.

Biofuel: Ethanol

Ethanol (CH3CH2OH) is an alcohol fuel made from the sugars found in grains such as corn sorghum, barley
and in plant products such as potato skins, rice, sugar cane, sugar beets , yard clippings , bark and
switchgrass.
Ethanol can be produced by a process called gasification. Gasification systems use high temperatures and a
low-oxygen environment to convert biomass into synthesis gas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
The synthesis gas, or "syngas," can then be chemically converted into ethanol and other fuels. Ethanol is used
in special engine by mixing with petrol and is called Gasohol (70-90% petrol and 10-30% ethanol).

Biodiesel

Biodiesel is made by combining alcohol (usually methanol) with vegetable oil, animal fat, or recycled
cooking grease. It is a nontoxic and biodegradable energy source that produces lower levels of air pollutants.
Most often it is blended with petroleum diesel in ratios of 2% (B2), 5% (B5),20% (B20) or as pure biodiesel.

3. Explain with neat figure gasifier.

Ans.
Gasification of Biomass

 Gasification is the process of heating of solid biomass for conversion into gas in presence of limited
oxygen and air (deficient O,/air).
 The equipment used to gasify the biomass such as wood waste and agricultural wastes, etc. is called
gasifier.
 During the gasification of biomass, it produces gaseous fuels like hydrogen (H), carbon monoxide
(CO),carbon dioxide (CO), methane (CH), nitrogen (N) called producer gas.
 These gases have low calorific fuel in the range of 4000 kJ/m² to 5000 kJ/m².
 A gasifier is essentially a closed vessel where various complex physical and chemical processes take
place.

 Types of Gasifier

Various types of gasifiers are

1. Downdraft gasifier
2. Updraft gasifier
3. Cross draft gasifier
4. Fluidized bed gasifier

The working of the above gasifiers are explained below

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1. Downdraft Gasifier

A schematic diagram of a downdraft gasifier is shown in Fig. 5.14.1.

This is also called concurrent moving bed gasifier.

 It is a cylindrical vessel of varying cross-section in which the biomass as fuel is fed from the top at
regular intervals.
 The air enters into the combustion zone. The gas produced leaves near the bottom of the gasifier as
shown. gasification process is carried out in four zones. These are,
I. Drying zone: In this zone the moisture content of the biomass in its upper layers is removed
by evaporation. T temperature in this zone is about 120°C.

II. Pyrolysis zone (200°C-600°C): The dried biomass moves down in this zone. In this zone the
volatiles presen the biomass are evaporated and further down in this zone the biomass breaks
down into water vapour, methan acetic acid, hydrocarbon tars are evolved at about 400-
450°C temperature.

III. Oxidation zone (900°C 1200°C): In this zone the required quantity of air is supplied and the
gases a hydrocarbon tars produced are oxidized. It results into production of water vapour
and CO,. It is an exother reaction.

IV. Reduction zone (900°C -600°C): In this zone the following endothermic reactions take
place.
CO+C →→2CO

C+H₂O →→CO+H₂

C+2H₂O → CO₂+2H2

 Reactions being endothermic, the temperature of 900°C near the oxidation zone reduces progressively
downwards u 600°C. The ash is collected from the bottom.
 The final product is a producer gas having approximately the following composition:

CO= 18-22 %,

H₂ = 14-18%, N₂ = 50-54%,

CH, 2-5% CO, 9-12%,

Water vapour 2-4%

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Fig.: Downdraft Gasifiers

 Advantages of Downdraft Gasifier

(1) It is easy to operate

(2) It is to maintain
(3) Provides reasonably clean gas, therefore it is suitable for small gas engines.

2. Updraft Gasifier :

A schematic diagram of updraft gasifier is shown in Fig.

Fig.: Updraft gasifier

In this, gasifier the air enters from the bottom and the gas leaves at the top.

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Advantages of Updraft Gasifier :

It provides clean gas without any ash content, water vapour and tar. These are easy to build and operate.

3. Cross Draft Gasifier:

The schematic diagram of a cross draft gasifier is shown in Fig.

 In this, the air enters through the water cooled nozzles mounted on one side of the furnace.
 The gas produced in front of the nozzle in the reduction zone is allowed to pass through a vertical
gate and leaves through the gas port in the direction opposite to the air entry direction.
 The gas produced passes through the annular space around the gasifier filled with charcoal. It helps to
remove any dust particles since charcoal acts as a dust filter.
 These type of gasifiers are not usually used in practice.

Fig.: Cross draft gasifier

4. Fluidized Bed Gasifier :

A fluidized bed gasifier is schematically shown in Fig.

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Fig.: Fluidized bed gasifier

 In this air and biomass fuel are supplied from the same direction.
 Air is supplied above the fluidization velocity so that both the biomass and air during combustion
behave like a fluid resulting into high rate of gas production. Gas rises upwards.

The advantages of Fluidized Bed Gasifier:

1. It can use any type of biomass.
2. It can use even sewage sludge as fuel.
3. Rate of combustion is high

4. Explain with neat figure digester. (Explain floating drum type/KVIC

BIOGAS PLANT)

 Biogas is a mixture of gases produced by the breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen.
It mainly consists of carbon dioxide and methane.
 Biogas can be produced from raw materials like agricultural waste, manure, plant material, etc. It is a
renewable source of energy, also known as “Gobar Gas”.

Working of Biogas plant-

1) Biogas is made in a digester which is a tank filled with bacteria that eat organic waste and give flammable
gas (biogas).
2) The bacteria in the tank should be taken care of well and proper food is to be given.
3) The bacteria convert organic matter into methane gas through anaerobic respiration.
4) The operator of the biogas system feeds the digester with household by-products like kitchen waste,
manure, etc.
5) The methane gas produced can be used for cooking, lighting, etc.
6) The waste which is fully digested will form an organic fertilizer.
7) Its main part consists of:
a. Mixing tank

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b. Inlet chamber
c. Digester
d. Outlet chamber
e. Overflow tank
8) This is also called anaerobic digester, biodigester, or a bioreactor.

5. Draw neat figure of Janta type biogas plant .

ANS.
 he design of this plant is of Chinese origin but it has been introduced under the name “Janata biogas
plant” by Gobar Gas Research Station,Ajitmal. In view of its reduced cost.
 This is a plant where no steel is used, there is no moving part in it and maintenance cost is low.
 This model have a higher capacity when compared with KVIC model, hence it can be used as a
community biogas plant.
 This design has longer life than KVIC models. Substrates other than cattle dung such as municipal
waste and plant residues can also be used in janata type plants.
 The plant consists of an underground well sort of digester made of bricks and cement having a dome
shaped roof which remains below the ground level. At almost middle of the digester, there are two
rectangular openings facing each other and coming up to a little above the ground level, act as an inlet
and outlet of the plant.
 Dome shaped roof is fitted with a pipe at its top which is the gas outlet of the plant. The principle of
gas production is same as that of KVIC model. The biogas is collected in the restricted space of the
fixed dome, hence the pressure of gas is much higher, which is around 90 cm of water column.

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6. Draw neat figure of Deenbandhu type biogas plant.

Ans.

 The schematic diagram of fixed dome type biogas plant as developed by Action for Food Production
(AFPRO), New Delhi in 1984 is shown in Fig.
 The slurry of cow dung and water is made in the mixing tank and fed into the digester through the
inlet pipe.
 The digester is curved at the bottom and hemispherical shape at the top.
 The anaerobic digestion of biomass slurry produces the biogas and it is collected in the upper portion
of dome.
 The gas pressure causes the digested slurry to move out to the displacement chamber.

Fig.: Deenbandhu Model

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Advantage of this model is that the surface area of the digester is reduced, thus reducing the earth work and
construction cost.

 Advantages of Fixed Dome Type Plant:

I. Cost of plant is less compared to floating drum type plant.

II. Loss of heat is negligible since these are constructed underground.
III. No corrosion problems as in fixed drum type.
IV. It is maintenance free.

 Disadvantages of Fixed Dome Type Plants:

I. Needs skilled labour to operate.
II. Gas production/m' of digester volume is less.
III. Gas is produced at variable pressure.

7. Explain steps for installation of biogas plant.

Ans.
Step 1: Preparing the project outline.
Step 2: Developing the feasibility study.
Step 3: Availability of substrate.
Step 4: Selecting the site.
Step 5: Material stream logistics.
Step 6: Selecting the technology.

8. State and explain application of biofuels.

Ans.

Biofuel is known to be a very efficient alternative to fossil fuels. There are many other advantages of Biofuel
as well. Besides being used for transportation, biofuel can also provide hydrogen, clean up oil, can be used as
fuel for cooking, and much more.

Transportation:
Across the world, transport consumes around 24% of energy and around 60% of absorbed oil. This implies
that more than one-third of oil is used for operating vehicles. The primary challenge with solar, wind, and
other alternative powers are not fit to be used for transportation. According to experts, impactful
breakthroughs in technology advances are still decades away.
In such a scenario, biofuel can be turned into a hydrogen stream that is used in an adjoining fuel cell.

Generating Energy:
Fuel cells can generate power. Biofuel can assist in power generation in backup systems where emission
matters the most. This includes facilities such as schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure located in
residential areas.

Provide Heat:
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Biofuel can be used for heating and power generation purposes. Bioheat has grown in popularity in the last
few years. You can use biofuel as home heating oil in both domestic and commercial boilers. A blend of
biodiesel, when used, will reduce the emission of both nitrogen and sulfur dioxide.

Charging Electronics:
As per scientists, for research purposes, the fuel cell was developed with cooking oil and sugar to generate
electricity. Customers may also be able to use fuel cells in place of batteries to charge anything from
computers to cell phones. While this study is still under process and the learnings are being developed, it’s
confirmed that cells have the potential to become a ready source of power.

Cleans Oil Spills and Grease:

Biofuel is known to be environmental-friendly. It can also help clean up oil spills and grease. It has been
tested to work as a potential cleaning agent for areas where crude oil had contaminated the waters.
The research results proved that it made a significant difference and enabled the removal of crude oil from
the water. Biofuel can also be used as an industrial solvent for cleaning metal, owing to its non-toxic nature.

Cooking:
While kerosene is the most commonly used fuel for stoves, biodiesel is also equally good and can be used.

Lubricates:
Biofuel improves fuel lubricity and raises the cetane number of the fuel. Diesel fuel is required to reduce the
sulfur concentration. This is important when it comes to keeping the engine properly functioning and
avoiding premature failure.

Helps in Removal of Paint and Adhesives:

Products which are used for paint removal are generally very toxic. They are strong because they need to
dilute the paint. Biofuel is an excellent replacement for smaller-scale and non-critical applications.

Enables the Creation of Energy, in the Absence of Fossil Fuel:

As the oil supply is beginning to exhaust, one is forced to question how the extraction of fuel is going to
happen in the near future, without destroying the environment. In the present scenario, biofuel will help the
government create a more stable method of producing cost-effective energy.

Reduce Costs and the Need to Import Oil:

According to analysts, replacing imported oil with biofuel will help to stabilize the economy in the long run.
Minimizing the heavy oil import costs will positively impact the country’s overall economy.

9. Write short note on, smokeless chulhas, burners’ heaters, and engine.
Ans.

Blogas burners and heaters

Stoves and burners are for biogas applications are similar to conventional appliances which are used for
commercial gases such as butane and propane used supplied to houses and for commercial establishment for

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heating and cooking For use of biogas the cross sectional area of injector size is increased 2-4 times of the
conventional burners for proper flow of biogas. However the size of jet opening is usually kept the same or
slightly increased by 10%

10. Explain working with neat sketch of Smokeless Chulhas (Explain with
neat sketch the construction of ‘ smokeless Chulhas.)
ANS.

• Smokeless chulhas can be construed in different models and size. The standard family unit is with oven
• A cast iron reducer plate is also supplied to accommodate smaller vessels
• In this oven firing is made only in two ovens at a time. The third ovens get heat from the flame these two
ovens its normally used working water food etc.
• Firing can be done in one oven also depending on the use
• The passage to the unsure oven should be closed by using shutter supplied with the unit
• This will stop flow smoke gases in the house
• Smokeless chulhas are commonly used in house, canteens hotels etc. for cooking purpose
• The main advantage of installing smokeless chulha is that, it not emits smoke in kitchen.
• The traditional method of cooking in rural areas is on Chulah The fuel is burnt under cooking pot. The
thermal efficiency of this chulah is about 5 to 15 percent. It requires large quantity of fuel. The smoke makes
the cooking ports dirty and increases the work load of women.
• The smokes also create the problem of eye and chest diseases in women take more time to cook. Smoke
entering into the kitchen room leads to Indoor Air Pollution.
• Smokeless chulha does not mean that without smoke. It generates smoke but is vented out of the room
using pipe. The idea of smokeless chulha is not let all of the smoke come out and get on your face while
cooking.

Advantages:

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1. It is fuel efficient.
2. Low cost.
3. Easy to construct.
4. Prevents any smoke to escape into the house.
5. It does not need any external power.
6. It is reliable and durable.
7. It is small in size and weighs about 2 to 4 kg. Therefore these can be moved from place to place
easily.
8. Thermal efficiency of this stove can be further improved by using mod /clay over the chulha which is
locally available .
9. Air flow can be increased for better combustion by blackening the ventilation pipe. Reason is that it
will increase temperature of gases leaving the ventilation pipe and increase the pressure drop across
the system.
10. Due to reduction in smoke in house, air will be healthy and reduce respiratory problems.

11. List applications of Bio Fuel

Ans. The applications of Bio-Fuel
1) Domestic Heating
2) Domestic cooking
3) Commercial Process Heating
4) Power Generation
5) Transportation
6) Energy Generation
7) Provide Heat

12. Write maintenance procedure of Bio gas plant.

ANS

 Maintenance can be defined as the combination of all prescribed technical and associated
administrative actions performed to retain a system, so that, it will be restored to a state, in which, it
can perform its required function.
 In simple words, maintenances action is, nothing but, the prescribed operative process to correct an
equipment failure, when the equipment fails to operate
 Generally, maintenances are divided into 3 types

1) corrective maintenances
Corrective maintenances are carried out after a failure has occurred
This means that, the working of wind mill has to be stopped, until the failed component is either repaired or
replaced by new one.

2) Preventive maintenances
Preventive maintenances activity is carried out at predetermined schedule to reduces the probability of failure
.
Preventive maintenances activities are planned and periodical.

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Preventive maintenances are of two types

(i) Indirect Preventive maintenances.
(ii) Direct Preventive maintenances.

(3) Improvement maintenances

Improvement maintenances is the program of initiatives taken to improve the operational reliability from a
maintenance aspect.

13. Draw layout of Bio mass power plant.

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14. Describe various Biomass conversion processes.

Ans. [Link] combustion

One of the oldest uses in which biomass has been utilized for energy in the world is
through the burning wood (combustion). This action represents a traditional use of biomass,
particularly in rural zones.
It is considered an essential resource to the economic development of societies.
Nevertheless, when the wood is burnt in an open fire stove, around 80% energy is lost .
Recently, technologies suggest the use of energy efficiency stoves, which not only has a
better thermal efficiency but also avoids indoor air pollutions. Other specialized equipment
involves furnaces, boilers, steam turbines, and turbogenerator.
The combustion of biomass allows the recovery of the chemical energy stored.
In general, combustion processes involve direct oxidation of matter in air, that is,
ignition or burning of organic matter in an air atmosphere sufficient to react with oxygen fuel.

2. Thermochemical Process
Thermochemical process, as the direct combustion, has a core axis, the temperature. One
of the main differences is an induced atmosphere in which conversion of biomass took place.
This oxidation process can occur in the presence or absence of a gasifying medium. The
conversion of biomass depends on temperature and pressure variables.
For example, if the substrate to transform is in the presence of a gas such as oxygen,
water vapor, or hydrogen, producing fuel is performed through gasification. If, however,
material degradation occurs in the absence of oxygen, that is, nitrogen, under controlled
pressure and temperature, then the process is called pyrolysis.

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3 Biochemical Conversion of Biomass

Biochemical conversion of biomass involves use of bacteria, microorganisms and
enzymes to breakdown biomass into gaseous or liquid fuels, such as biogas or bioethanol.
The most popular biochemical technologies are anaerobic digestion (or biomethanation)
and fermentation.
Anaerobic digestion is a series of chemical reactions during which organic material is
decomposed through the metabolic pathways of naturally occurring microorganisms in an
oxygen depleted environment.
Anaerobic Digestion

Anaerobic digestion is the natural biological process which stabilizes organic waste in the
absence of air and transforms it into biofertilizer and biogas.
Anaerobic digestion is a reliable technology for the treatment of wet, organic waste. Organic
waste from various sources is biochemically degraded in highly controlled, oxygen-free
conditions circumstances resulting in the production of biogas which can be used to produce
both electricity and heat.

Chapter 06

1. State installation procedure for wind solar pv hybrid system.

Ans.
Installation Procedure of Wind Solar PV Hybrid System

 The hybrid wind-solar PV system can provide an effective solution to electrical power needs to a
residential premises or a group of residences or small complexes or in the remote village areas.
 The wind mill and the solar PV system after designing are installed separately. The method of
installation of the hybrid system are as follows:

1. Installation of small Wind Mill:

(i) Wind mill must be installed at least at 10m height clear from the ground and free from
trees/obstructions/debris, etc. for free flow of wind.
(ii) Usually the design of foundation is provided by the supplier of wind mill and the foundation must be
constructed accordingly.

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(iii)However, build the foundation using plum (stones) concreting in which large sized stones are filled
with concrete. Ensure that while concreting no air pockets are created in the foundation. It should be
built at least 2 to 3 m height from ground level.
(iv) The curing of the foundation must be done atleast (2-4) weeks in order to provide strong and stable
foundation.
(v) If the wind mill is to be installed at the roof top for individual needs, prepare the foundation
according to supplier's design and specifications.
(vi) Install a pole with anti-corrosion point of 10 cm to 15 cm diameter for wind mills up to the capacity
of 10 kW. It should be at least 4m to 5m height to receive uninterrupted wind to turbine blades.
(vii) Install the wind mill horizontal platform at the top of pole with nut and bolts and stay wires
and carryout the needed wiring.

2. Installation of Solar PV System:

(i) Install solar PV panels at the roof top on stands made of MS or Aluminium channels with
corrosion resistant paints on them.
(ii) The solar collectors may be installed at an angle equal to the latitude towards south.
(iii) Do the wiring with the insulated wires as shown in Fig. 6.7.1. The purpose of various
components is described below:

(a) C.B. (Circuit Breaker): A switch which shuts-down when a certain amount of current exceeds the
amount of current passes through it.
(b) C. C. (Charge Controller): An electronic device that regulates the voltage and current of the solar
PV array. It gives steady output which is used by the hybrid controller.
(c) Hybrid Controller: It controls the voltage and current supplied by both PV array and wind mill. It
makes it suitable for charging the batteries.
(d) Inverter: An electronic device which converts a low voltage DC into high voltage AC output c.g. it can
convert 12 V or 24 V DC of battery into 220 V AC to take up the loads.
(iv) Red colour PVC wires be used to connect positive terminals, black colour wires to connect
negative terminals and green wire for earthing.
(v) Sizing or wind mill and PV array depends on the load to be met. For example if we have 2.4 kW of
load we may choose the following:

(a) 4 x 100W, 12V solar panels connected in series to provide 48 V and 400 W(0.4 kW) power.
(b) 48V, 2kW wind mill.
(c) 48V, 3.2 KVA inverter
(d) 48V, 400W control solar input and 48V, 2kW of wind mill input by hybrid controller.
(e) Batteries 4 x 200 Ah battery bank connected in series.

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Fig. : Wind-Solar PV block diagram with wiring

3. State classification of hybrid system.

Ans.
Types of Hybrid Systems

Various hybrid systems for power supply which are relevant to Indian conditions are:

i. Wind-Solar
ii. Wind-Biogas
iii. Biogas - Solar thermal
iv. PV-diesel
v. Biomass-Solar
vi. Wind-diesel
vii. Microhydel-PV or wind

The schematic diagram showing the components of a hybrid system for integration of renewable energy
sources with the gird is shown in Fig.

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Fig.: Schematic diagram for hybrid power system

As can be seen from Fig. the basic components of hybrid systems are the renewable energy power systems
which supplies the DC power to battery bank an inverter to convert DC to AC, step up transformer and the
power grid.

4. Explain with neat figure wind solar hybrid system.

Ans.

A. A system using combination of wind power, solar power called as solar wind hybrid system
B. During favorable wind, period the wind turbine generates AC power.
C. It may be used directly and connected to AC loads. The excess AC power is converted into DC and store
in batteries bank
D. During the day time and favorable sun shine, the solar system converts the solar radiations received it
directly into DC power. It’s stored in the batteries bank
E. The DC power is converted into AC by an inverter. This power is supplied to various consumers, street
lighting, pumping etc. through the consumer devise

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F. Battery act storage system. It stores the Excess power when demand of energy by consumer is less than
the power produced by the solar-wind system
G. When the power produced by the system is less, the additional energy needed by the consumer is supplied
from the battery

5. Explain with neat figure wind biogas hybrid system.

Ans.
Wind-Biogas Hybrid Power Plant

The working of hybrid wind-biogas hybrid plant is similar to solar biogas plant. A combined wind turbine-
biogas generator power plant is shown in Fig.

Fig.: Circuit diagram of wind-blogas hybrid systems

In the above diagram, solar system can be used in addition with wind-biogas system as shown by dotted lines

6. Explain with neat figure solar biogas hybrid system

Ans.
Solar-Biogas Power System

i. Many remote rural areas in India are characterized with low energy demand with low population
density. It results into high cost of power generation and transmission.
ii. However, many rural areas are bestowed with renewable sources of energy that can be converted into
usable energy. It would meet their energy needs with poverty reduction.
iii. Biogas is a renewable sources energy. Its feed stock is human, animal and poultry manures which are
easily and readily available in most rural areas. This feed stock can be easily converted into biogas.
Advantage of biogas production is reduction in use of firewood for cooking and smoke in houses

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which is the causes of many respiratory diseases. Apart from this the residue from biogas plant is a
valuable fertilizer which can be used in their fields for organic farming.
iv. On the other hand, solar energy which is available 270 days a year in India can generate both heat and
electric power. It can be used for solar drying, water heating and provide electricity for lighting,
operation of TV and radio, water pumping etc. Use of solar PV system for generation of electricity
can improve quality of life in villages.
v. Therefore, in the biogas-solar hybrid systems, the biogas will cater for the thermal needs like heating
and cooking and also the needs of lighting or rural community. Whereas, solar energy can be used for
battery charging and supplimentary need of electric power.
vi. These hybrid systems can be implemented both for individual requirement as well for the community
as a whole.
vii. At least two cows are needed for biogas generation to meet the individual needs of a household for
heating and cooking requirement with availability of manure.
viii. Alternately, the ministry of renewable sources are promoting biomass gasifiers power plants based on
locally available biomass like wood chips, rice husk, cotton and arhar dal stalks and other agro-
residues in rural areas. It has taken up project for grid connected power plant up to 2 MW capacity.
ix. A solar-biogas hybrid system with gird is shown in Fig.

Fig.: Solar Biogas Hybrid system

x. The power generated by PV array during day time and the electric output of biogas LC. engine is
stored in the battery bank.
xi. The energy stored in the battery bank is drawn by electrical AC loads through the inverter which
converts the DC in AC power.
xii. The inverter has the in-built protection against short circuits, overheating, low battery voltage and
overloads.
xiii. The battery banks is so designed that it can meet the loads up to a certain number of days when there
is no solar power available. If it is a grid connected system, then it draws power from the grid.

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xiv. A petrol engine can run 100 % on biogas. If using diesel engines, it is modified so that it can operated
both on bio-gas and diesel as per the requirement.

 Requirements for biogas installation:

i. 3 to 4 animals can produce 2 m³ of biogas per day. It requires (35-40) kg of wet dung
ii. Average villager uses about 0.4 m³ of gas day.
iii. Digestor size(P) is approximately 80 times the fresh dung / day and represents the gas generated per
day.
iv. Based on above approximate data, the community size of biogas plant can be worked out.
v. It can be noted that 70 % of the total solids put into digester come out as fertilizer having valuable
nutrients.

State technical and commercial requirements for selection of hybrid system. (Prepare
project feasibility report for Wind and Biogas plant ) Discuss the technical and
commercial feasibility in brief for renewable energy
1. system.

Ans.
Technical and Commercial Feasibility of Renewable Energy Systems

 At present, the renewable energy is cost effective and it is comparable with power generation with
conventional power plants.
 Use of renewable energy has a potential to produce pollution free power and as well provide the
energy security However, type of renewable energy sources which can be used depends on the
availability of wind, solar radiations and biomass.
 The technical requirements of each type of renewable energy to be employed are being discussed
below.

1 Wind Energy

1) In order to select and develop wind turbine installations we need sufficient wind speeds for their
optimal and efficient performance.
2) The factors which affect the wind velocities at a particular location depends on the latitude, altitude
and the topography of the place.
3) The average wind speeds required are atleast 8 m/s with minimum wind speed of (2-3) m/s and
maximum wind speed of 25 m/s. For this purpose, the wind map data is studied for locating the wind
mills. The height of tower required for installation of small wind mills upto 10 kW capacity is upto 10
m and for large wind farms the tower height needed is 30 m to 60 m depending on the location.
4) The wind speed at (Height) and power developed is proportional to the cube of wind speeds.
5) While planning a wind energy plants for power generation we have to decide on the following:
(i) Does it require stand alone or grid connected system to meet the loads.

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(ii) Rating of wind mill required (small in KW upto 700 kW or large for commercial purposes
in MW)
(iii) Wind data of the past 1-2 years
(iv) Connected load and daily load curve.
6) When locating wind farms for commercial use we must select the site having vacant land or hill tops,
availability of transmission lines with grid nearby, suitable location to move heavy machinery and
crane for installation etc.
7) At present the capital cost is about Rs 4-5 crores/MW with energy cost of Rs 2.5 per kWh
approximately.

2 Solar PV System

1) Solar PV power generation systems are installed at locations where maximum sun shine (solar
radiations) are available atleast (250-270) days in a year. For this purpose, the average direct normal
irradiation data is collected in kWh/m²/day for each month in a year. With this available data, we can
assess the energy available from PV system for planning and meeting the connected load.
2) As regards the small PV power generation for stand-alone system like residences in kW, it is easy to
install the PV systems. However, large PV plants require large area which is almost flat and having
not more than 3% slope. It should be noted that high ground slopes affect the capital cost of
installation.
3) Land required is about 5 acres (1 acre = 4647 m² approximately 4840 sq, yard) for 1 MW capacity PV
power plant.
4) The land selected should be clear and away from population and any hazards. It should not be very
far away from the existing transmission lines since it will increase the capital cost.
5) If using concentrated type PV solar fields, these should not be located where wind speeds are more
than 14 m/s (-50 kmph). However, flat PV solar panels can be installed even with wind speeds upto
35m/s (125 kmpb)
6) At present the cost of power generation by solar PV system is high, however capital cost has dropped
by 80% from 2010 to 2018. The capital cost is about Rs 5.5 crores per MW and generation cost Rs.
2.25 per kWh. It has a life of about 25 years and the payback period is about (12-14) years.

3. Biogas Power Generation:

1) Small biogas power plants can be installed by individual farmers or by the community for cooking,
lighting, pumping etc.
2) Cattle dung can produce 0.037 m³ of biogas per kg of cow dung. It's calorific value is about 20000-
22000 kJ/kg or 38000 kJ/m of gas at atmospheric conditions.
3) The composition of biogas by volume is:
Methane (50-60%), CO₂ (30-40%), H₂ (5-10%), N₂ (5-8%) with small traces of other gases. It's
octane value is (110-130) and self-ignition temperature at STP is (650°C-730°C).

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4) Biogas can be used for power generation in Petrol engines. It needs about 0.55 m of gas per kWh. It
can also be used in C.I. engines either on biogas or diesel.
5) Biomass can be used to generate power after gasification or conversion of biomass into biofuels.

2. Explain the working of wind- solar Hybrid system.

Ans.
Solar Wind Hybrid Power System

A system using the combination of wind power and solar power is called the solar wind hybrid power
system.

Fig.: Solar-Wind Hybrid Power System

i. These systems are under development. Such a system can be located in vast flat open terrains away
from forests and tall buildings at locations where both the solar radiations and wind speeds are
available for several months.
ii. In most locations, the wind often blows when sun is not shining while the wind velocities are low
when the sun is shining.
iii. Therefore, the intermittent supply of wind power can be supplemented by solar power or by other
means like diesel generating sets.
iv. Therefore, the solar wind hybrid power system ensures the continuous supply of power at remote
locations where grid is not available.
v. A block diagram of solar-wind hybrid power system for an isolated location is shown in Fig.
vi. During favorable wind period, the wind turbine generator generates AC power. It may be used
directly and connected to AC loads. The excess AC power is converted into DC by rectifier and
stored in bank of batteries.
vii. During the day time and favorable sun shine, the solar photovoltaic (PV) system converts the solar
radiations received by it directly into DC power. It is stored in the bank of batteries.
viii. The DC power is converted into AC by an inverter. This power is supplied to various consumers,
street lighting, pumping etc. through the consumer control devices.

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ix. Battery acts storage system. It stores the excess power when demand of energy by consumers is less
than the power produced by the solar-wind system.
x. When the power produced by the system is less, the additional energy needed by the consumers is
supplied from the battery.

Advantages of Solar-Wind Hybrid Power System are

1. Ensures continuous power supply.

2. System can be used at remote locations where transmission lines are not available.
3. It reduces the size of large energy storage (battery) needed individually for solar power system and wind
power systems.

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12425
22661
3 Hours / 70 Marks Seat No.

Instructions : (1) All Questions are compulsory.

(2) Illustrate your answers with neat sketches wherever necessary.
(3) Figures to the right indicate full marks.
(4) Assume suitable data, if necessary.
(5) Use of Non-programmable Electronic Pocket Calculator is permissible.

Marks

1. Attempt any FIVE of the following : 10

(a) Enlist different alternative energy sources.

(b) Write down advantages of Biogas plant.

(c) List out various components of offgrid solar PV system.

(d) Write down advantages of HAWT over VAWT.
(e) Write down functions of Forebay and Penstock in Micro-hydro Power Plant.
(f) Define the term Battery rating.
(g) Explain the need of hybrid system.

2. Attempt any THREE of the following : 12

(a) Explain parabolic dish collector with neat sketch.
(b) Explain stand-alone PV system.
(c) Explain construction and working of small vertical axis wind turbines.
(d) Draw the layout of micro hydropower system.

[1 of 2] P.T.O.
22661 [2 of 2]
3. Attempt any THREE of the following : 12
(a) Explain rooftop solar water heater system.
(b) Define Net metering in solar PV system.
(c) Define Gasifier. Explain any one type of gasifier.
(d) Explain smokeless Chulha with neat sketch.

4. Attempt any THREE of the following : 12

(a) Explain the maintenance procedure of micro hydropower system in brief.
(b) List out different types of hybrid system. Write commercial feasibility
assessment for any one hybrid system.
(c) Explain costing of hybrid renewable energy system alongwith applications of
hybrid system.
(d) Compare horizontal axis wind turbine and vertical axis wind turbine.
(e) List out different components of micro hydropower system and explain
operating procedure of micro hydropower system.

5. Attempt any TWO of the following : 12

(a) Explain solar dryer with neat sketch.
(b) Explain maintenance procedure of large horizontal axis wind turbine.
(c) Write down installation and maintenance procedure of solar rooftop PV
system.

6. Attempt any TWO of the following : 12

(a) Explain installation and maintenance procedure of commercial solar water
heating system.
(b) Explain solar-wind hybrid power system in detail.
(c) Explain with neat sketch floating drum type biogas plant.

_______________
22232
22661
3 Hours / 70 Marks Seat No.

Instructions : (1) All Questions are compulsory.

(2) Illustrate your answers with neat sketches wherever necessary.
(3) Figures to the right indicate full marks.
(4) Assume suitable data, if necessary.

Marks
1. Attempt any FIVE of the following : 10
(a) Classify solar dryers.
(b) List various types of solar PV cell.
(c) State four advantages of Ni-Cd batteries over lead acid batteries.
(d) Classify wind energy conversion system.
(e) State suitable situation in selection of micro hydro power station.
(f) Write specification of small bio gas plant.
(g) Name important components of wind biogas hybrid system.

2. Attempt any THREE of the following : 12

(a) Write maintenance procedure for commercial water heating system.
(b) Explain working principle of silicon solar cell with neat sketch.
(c) State four advantages and limitations of VAWT over HAWT.
(d) Sketch layout of micro hydro power system. State functions of important
component in it.

[1 of 2] P.T.O.
22661 [2 of 2]
3. Attempt any THREE of the following : 12
(a) State advantages of parabolic collector over flat plate collector.
(b) List various industrial and commercial applications of solar photovoltaic
system.
(c) Compare floating drum and fixed dome type biogas plant.
(d) Describe the construction of KVIC biogas plant with neat sketch.

4. Attempt any THREE of the following : 12

(a) Describe routine maintenance procedure of small wind turbine power plant.
(b) State four advantages and limitations of micro hydro power system.
(c) Write maintenance procedure of micro hydro power system.
(d) Prepare layout of solar biogas hybrid system. Write its specification.
(e) Explain installation procedure of wind solar PV hybrid system.

5. Attempt any TWO of the following : 12

(a) Explain construction and working of parabolic collector with neat sketch.
(b) Explain Grid Connected and stand alone solar photovoltaic systems.
(c) Describe with neat sketch, wind turbine power plant, along with components
and their functions.

6. Attempt any TWO of the following : 12

(a) Select suitable solar dryer for fast drying of large quantities of agricultural
products. Explain it with neat sketch.
(b) Describe installation and maintenance procedure of Biogas plant.
(c) Explain wind solar hybrid system with neat sketch. State operating procedure
of its PV hybrid system.

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22661
3 Hours / 70 Marks Seat No.

Instructions : (1) All Questions are compulsory.

(2) Answer each next main Question on a new page.
(3) Illustrate your answers with neat sketches wherever necessary.
(4) Figures to the right indicate full marks.
(5) Assume suitable data, if necessary.

Marks
1. Attempt any FIVE of the following : 10
(a) Give classification of solar thermal collectors.
(b) State different types of batteries used in solar PV cells.
(c) Write specifications of VAWT.
(d) List main components of micro hydro power system.
(e) List various sources of Bio Fuel.
(f) State different types of hybrid systems.
(g) State the benefits of micro hydro power system.

2. Attempt any THREE of the following : 12

(a) Explain working of liquid flat plate collector with neat sketch.
(b) Explain with neat sketch, working principle of solar photovoltaic cell.
(c) Give detailed classification of wind mills.
(d) Describe various Biomass conversion processes.

3. Attempt any THREE of the following : 12

(a) Explain domestic water heating system with neat sketch.
(b) Describe central tower receiving system with neat sketch.

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(c) Explain in detail various factors considered for site selection in wind mill
power plant.
(d) Write short note on ‘Anaerobic Digestion’.

4. Attempt any THREE of the following : 12

(a) With the help of neat sketch, explain electricity generation by horizontal axis
wind machine.
(b) State various promotional schemes offered by Central and State Governments
for solar PV systems.
(c) Draw the layout of Micro Hydro Power Plant. State functions of penstock and
forebay.
(d) Draw a labelled sketch of ‘Smokeless Chulha’ and explain its working
principle.
(e) Give advantages and disadvantages of WECS.

5. Attempt any TWO of the following : 12

(a) Give classification of Bio-gas plants. Explain installation procedure for Bio-
gas plant.
(b) Draw layout of wind solar PV hybrid system. Describe its construction and
working.
(c) Discuss working of a cabinet dryer with the help of neat sketch. How it will
be used for large scale drying of food products ? Justify your answer.

6. Attempt any TWO of the following : 12

(a) Define ‘Net Metering’ and ‘Battery Rating’ in solar PV system. State the
benefits of Net Metering.
(b) Write short notes on :
(i) Solar Industrial Process Heating
(ii) Natural circulation Solar Water Heating Systems. (SWHS)
(c) State different materials used as raw materials for producing Bio-diesel.
Justify your answer.
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