Increase the Efficiency of Generating Power from Solar Sphere Design - Essay Sample

Introduction

Traditional energy sources such as coal and petroleum have far-reaching disadvantages and massive limitations considering the expanding global population. As such, there has been a consistent search for clean energy sources. Solar energy ranks up among the clean energy alternatives. Based on scientific knowledge and experience, the sun is acknowledged as being the principal source of power in the entire universe. It is no doubt that determining the most efficient way to convert solar energy to forms that are usable for day to day activities would be a breakthrough in solving global energy challenges. Solar energy collection using spherical surfaces is the contemporary approach towards solar energy maximization and a promise to a clean energy future.

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Solar Energy as Clean Energy Alternative

There exist many pieces of literature that explore the potential of solar energy as a viable replacement to current nonrenewable energy sources and highlight the various approaches that exist to convert it to other usable forms. Solar power harvesting is not new. For decades, photovoltaic cells have been used to tap solar energy and turn it into electric energy through what is referred to as solar panels. As Lin, Deng, Gu, and Ham (2014) note, production using these designs have, however, not been as large-scale as is expected given the extensive research and the fact that the design of traditional solar panels has not been efficient enough to produce substantial energy amounts within small areas.

In addition to food shortage and climate change, the expanding population continues to stretch energy sources. As a result, more energy has to be produced using old approaches. This imbalance leads to more pollution and uncertainty over the extent of havoc that the use of such energy sources has on the planet. The relationship between energy consumption and climate change have been highlighted by numerous studies and has been confirmed to be true. What remains then is how well the world can transition from nonrenewable to clean energy alternatives. Wind and wave energy have been mentioned. However, they are not as readily available as solar energy, especially considering areas in the world that suffer acute energy shortages. Energy alternatives that aim to replace petroleum and coal need to be cheap and readily available. Whereas the aspect of availability is naturally sorted, the element of affordability has to be solved through scientific methods.

The past few decades have seen the increased adoption of solar panels, especially in areas faced by energy shortages. The result of this technology is evident. In most of these remote parts of the world, solar energy use has translated to increased productivity and better lives. However, the cost of solar energy remains out of reach for most of these poor households. Governmental and nongovernmental bodies have had to come in to subsidize expenses based on the long-term gains derived from its use. The challenge of high initial cost has been the result of the design of the photovoltaic cells which are not sufficiently productive for solar energy capture (Lin et al., 2014).

Achieving Efficiency Using the Solar Sphere Design

Traditional photovoltaic panels are flat and the larger the surface area covered, the more solar energy collected. This design means that to receive more solar power, one requires a large area to install. However, space is scarce where such technology is needed. The new technology steps in to address this limitation. The solar sphere design represents a contemporary progressive approach aimed at maximizing the amount of solar energy harvested. The model applies the properties of optical lenses and geometry to create a see-through spherical ball.

In comparison with conventional photovoltaic systems, the solar sphere is about 60 percent more efficient (Hijazi, Mokhiamar, & Elsamni, 2016). Two technology approaches help the transparent sphere to capture maximum solar energy. First, there is an application of concentrating photovoltaics. The second technology is the concentration of thermal modules. The two techniques work together to increase the intensity of the harvested solar energy.

Solar sphere designs allow photovoltaic cells to harvest energy both during the day and at night. This efficiency is achieved through the reduction of the areas of the silicon cell by up to 25 percent (Hijazi et al., 2016). During the daytime, the transmission Ball Lens focuses on the energy concentrator. During night time, the Ball lens changes into a high-energy illuminator which powers LEDs that are used to provide lighting. The concentrated photovoltaic cells used for solar sphere designs operate in a dual axis system, which allows them to capture the rays of the sun throughout the day. Besides tracking the sun, these cells also maximize the solar energy which they catch in comparison with the old solar panels. As a result, their design allows for more value for money with regards to clean energy generation. By combining geometry and design, the solar sphere ensures that solar energy is maximumly collected.

In addition to the maximum solar energy capture achieved by its geometrical design, the solar sphere can be mounted on a fully rotational platform, and the lens used in its creation is more weatherproof than standard solar panels. Considering that solar panels are usually installed on rooftops or used to make walls and windows, the spherical design can be mounted on a fully rotational frame which ensures that it is fully productive when mounted on such surfaces. Regarding the amount of energy that can be tapped using the mounted system, it is capable of concentrating diffused moonlight, something that is not achievable using the flat photovoltaic solar panels. Equally notable is the fact that a solar sphere design makes it possible to capture solar energy on a cloudy day efficiently. Compared with the flat solar panels, this design produces at least four times more energy during such weather.

The solar sphere directly converts the energy from the sun into electric power. Old solar panels are required to face upwards at all time to collect maximum energy from the sun. This requirement is however restrictive when considering the various housing design challenges. The solar sphere design solves this challenge. Secondly, besides requiring large areas as initially stated, flat solar panels are limiting because they become inefficient near tall buildings which prevent contact between the rays of the sun and the photolytic cells. The solar sphere corrects this limitation through its design. Further, given the rotations and revolutions that occur within the galaxy system, sun rays do not always strike the earth surface at an angle that would guarantee maximum solar energy trapping throughout the year. The spherical design helps to address this challenge as well.

The solar sphere has a fundamental design which makes it easy to adopt and has the potential to provide cheap electric energy. It is this simple technology which this study seeks to unravel and determine how much the technology is scalable. Solar spheres can be achieved using different materials and mediums. One of the elements which can make up the transparent spherical lens is acrylic. It is preferred due to its superior properties which include higher transmittance, higher thermal conductivity, and a preferable refractive index (Srinivasan, Iyengar, & Miller, 2016). The multijunction concentrator cells help the ball to focus the energy at a central point from where it is converted to electrical power. There are three junctions which form the multijunction cell. The design of these layers ensure that thermal energy is concentrated, excess heat is dissipated, and the conversion from thermal to electric power occurs efficiently. It is fitted with a set of equipment which allows for the determination of current, resistance and voltage values. It can be regulated appropriately, a feature that also makes it long lasting using the readings.

Considering the material of the sphere, it refracts the light that it collects. The sphere is filled with a liquid to correct the refraction. The liquid is preferred due to its perfect combination of high power output and low heat during the production process. This approach is an old scientific design that can be replicated using multiple materials. Besides the science behind the technology, the outcome is equally visually appealing. Unlike the old solar panels which lie dull on rooftops or do not provide as much light as needed form modern building designs, the transparent nature of the solar sphere enables them to be used as windows while producing enough electric energy to address the needs of a building (Hijazi, Mokhiamar, & Elsamni, 2016). With the solar sphere design, humanity may have just cracked the code concerning solving the global energy resource scarcity challenge.

References

Hijazi, H., Mokhiamar, O., & Elsamni, O. (2016). Mechanical design of a low cost parabolic solar dish concentrator. Alexandria Engineering Journal, 55(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aej.2016.01.028

Lin, K. C., Deng, W., Gu, J., & Ham, C. (2014). Solar Energy Collection on a spherical surface. Energy and Environmental Engineering, 2(2), 48-54. doi: 10.13189/eee.2014.020202

Srinivasan, R., Iyengar, S., & Miller, J. (2016). Cloud-based Generation and Transfer of Solar Power in a Global Scale. International Journal of Computer Applications, 136(7), 27-35. doi: 10.5120/ijca2016908494