solar panels
DESCRIPTION
A project that a group and I worked on in the Solar Industry.TRANSCRIPT
IT in the Solar Energy Industry
History Solar Energy dates back to the
beginning of mankind Examples are Solar Cookers & Heating
History 212 BC: Archimedes applies the
reflective properties of a bronze shield to focus sunlight onto the Roman Ships, which were supposedly set ablaze
MythBusters recently proved set fire as “Busted”
History 1515: Da Vinci developed a solar collector,
but was never completed 1767: De Saussure of Switzerland built the
world’s first solar collector The solar collector was later used in British
expeditions in South Africa
History 1839: Edmond Becquerrel of France
discovered the photovoltaic effect 1891: Clarence Kemp of Baltimore
patented the first solar water heater 1905: Einstein published his work
explaining light is a wave and particle
History 1908: William Baily of Carnegie Steel
created the first solar thermal collector 1941: Earliest known silicon solar cell
invented by Russell Ohl, but only had 1% conversion efficency
History 1954: Daryl Chaplin, Calvin Fuller and
Gerald Pearson of Bell Laboratories developed the silicon photovoltaic (PV) cell with six percent conversion efficiency
Captured free electrons and converted to electrical current
1955: Bell technology used in telephone carrier system in Americus, GA
History 1956: Frank Bridgers designed first solar
powered commercial office building Late 50’s: Numerous satellites were
powered by PV solar cells
Late 1970’s Late 70’s: NASA Lewis Research Center
installs 83 PV cell systems across the world
Included was Papago Indian Reservation in Arizona which was first village complexly run by solar energy
1979: Carter installs solar panels on the White House
History 1983: ARCO Solar develops first solar field in
central California & Solar Design Associates develops another field in Hudson River Valley
1986: 150 MW field place in Kramer Junction, CA which utilized the application of mirrors and turbines
1986: Reagan removed White House PV cells
History 1990’s: Decreasing costs in energy 1994: NREL new cells using gallium
arsenide and gallium indium phosphide, increasing conversion efficiencies to 30%
1999: Building in Times Square built with intergraded PV panels
IT History IT was not a factor in Solar Energy until
large applications of panels were used Data of power consumption helped
optimize usage of battery/solar energy This made sure there was no
interruption in power consumption
Commercial Applicationsof IT and Solar Energy
Energy Infrastructure Evolution Paradigm/Infrastructure Shift
Centralized Energy Systems Distributed (Decentralized) Energy
Systems
Centralized Energy Systems Located close to resources Flocated close to resources Economiucs of Scale
1960s begin to see decline No longer competitvely cheap/reliable Unable to effectively serve “remote customers
Environmental Issues Polution/Ozone depletion – Global Warming Burning off Fossil Fuels
Coal High CO2 emissions
Distributed Energy Systems Highly Decentralized/Localized
Mass produced plants Smaller Site-Specific
Modular architecture Multiple generators, stores, distribution paths
Integration of Clean/Renewable Energy Sources Winds, Solar & Geothermic
Distributed vs. Centralized Energy
Implications on IT The Smart Grid to Improve
Reliability Flexibility Efficiency
What is the Smart Grid Computer-based automation, control,
management and monitoring of energy systems
Applications Supply/Demand forecasting of energy needs Dynamic energy resource allocation Virtual power plants, remote control of energy
distribution assets Consumer-side power management
Information Technology is the innovation driver
The Smart Grid
The Role of Renewables and the Smart Grid Renewables will supply an increasing
portion of our overall energy demands Modular infrastructure mediated by
Smart Grid technology will ease integration SG/IT to manage these resources Supplement existing energy generation
clusters "Plug and play"
Solar/Photovoltaic Energy and the Smart Grid Increased adoption and development of PV
technology Enabled by SG infrastructure Allow "on-site" photovoltaics to use existing
land/structures Distribution close to where being consumed
Virtual controllers Innovative sun-tracking capabilities on
panels Realizing greater efficiency
Solar/Photovoltaic Energy and the Smart Grid Positive Business Implications
Increased cost competitiveness Growing supporting ecosystem
New Business Opportunities/Business Model Innovation Solar Panel Development
IT Component/supporting tech Solar Panel Integration
Installation using localized usage data Architect large/small-scale implementation strategies
Solar Energy Management Software development - intellegent energy management End-to-end customer service, personalized reporting
Supply Chain Silicon suppliers- Asia Cell manufacturers -Asia Module manufacturers -Asia and Europe Distributors or systems integrators Asia
and Europe
Supply Chain
Customer Segment Residential
Local installer, regional grid Commercial customers
Solar manufacturers and installers Reduce electricity expenses and carbon
footprints Utilities (Around the world)
own solar capabilities, systems integrators, solar manufacturers, regional utilities(PG&E, SCE)
PV Markets Germany, Italy, China, the United States and
France
Information Technology in the Supply Chain Transaction category: order management,
warehouse management, transportation management, and accounting
Communication category: exchange information between firm locations, global sites and supply chain partners
Relationship category: manage the strategic and tactical relationships between firms and their customers
Information Technology in the Supply Chain
Domestic Applicationsof IT and Solar Energy
Domestic IT Advantages Advantage of this processing power is
by optimizing power output. Inverters fuse panel monitoring systems
to boost performance and domestic application.
Sophisticated algorithms to maximize power outputs.
Performance is Boosted By: Power mismatch causes current variance
between panels on string (3-5%) Partial shading caused by leaves, fixture
shadows, leaves, and weather over multiple panels (Causes damage and reduces power by 5-25%)
Under voltage caused by short strings(IV Curve reduced 15% caused by short strings and high temperatures)
Suboptimal Maximum Power Point Tracking (3-10% power losses)
Suboptimal Points Solar panels all have problems .
These problems produce variances in voltage.
Since the panels must be strung together the challenges rise out of optimizing the string current.
IT systems in the solar industry Utilize advance calculus real-time information Create a transfer for theoretical
maximum points over dynamic energy production.
This allows for domestic solar panel systems to become up to 25% more efficient.
IT Forward Looking Applications in Solar Industry
Future Trends
Increase Conversion Efficiency
Control System
Centralized to Decentralized
Increase Conversion EfficiencySolar
Maps
Computational Simulation
Monitoring Manufacturing
Solar maps provide l solar resource information on grid cells.
Computers model and predict solar energy levels. What’s more, a solar simulator is a device that provides illumination approximating natural sunlight.
IT helps to monitor the defects and improve the quality of the solar panels.
Control System Data tracking& reporting: IT can help to
track the power generated individually from each module and report the data.
WiFi Tagging: Wireless solar-powered tags can be installed on solar system to relay system data not only to users but also to local utility suppliers.
Intelligent Management System
Combine Solar, heat to generate energy, increase the Provide fresh heated or cooled air according to
outside parameters. Save energy, environmental friendly Remote access to monitoring system
Centralized to Decentralized
Distributed Generation
Questions