6. Project performance Analysis

6. Project performance Analysis

Aim – The renewable energy project aims to deliver 9MWh/year of renewable energy.

Materials proposed for the RE energy design:

Steel - 90% recycled. Silicone electrode Balls – 95% recycled. Photovoltaic thin film – 79%Luminophores paint – 85% Pavegen Tiles – 89% recycled

Photovoltaic thin films

A thin-solar panel consists of thin, glass, plastic or metal layers of semiconductors placed. The films are thin, usually 20 times thinner than plates. This allows the flexibility and lightweight thin film solar panels. The product can be flexible enough to form a roof form if the thin-film cells are enclosed into plastic; when the glass is applied, the thin-film panels will be harder and heavier. Thin film has the essential advantage of the quantity of material you require. This is a straight semi-conductor bandgap (Solar-powered nudi arches, 2018). One or two millimeters are available, and you can still collect 98 percent of the daylight." (In other words, it is necessary to take the same amount of daylight as the typical photovoltaic silicone cells, wafer-thin film material). Global Solar uses a copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) technology to produce its fine-foil solar cells. They have already provided portable field chargers for US military and outdoor enthusiasts, mostly in communications and other electronics powered by these cells (Biello n.d.). The solar thin sheet proposed in the design used 17 sheets (1.5m X 1m) of calculated the total energy generation of 6kWh annually (Solar Panel | Hansol n.d.).

Luminophores Paint

When it is subjected to long-wave ultraviolet (UV) radiations, luminophores paints 'glow.' The proposed sculpture had the paint outlined on the frames which absorbs sunlight in the day and glows at night. The UV-wave lengths are found in sunshine and in many artificial lights, but a special black light is required for viewing, which is that these glowing-paints are called 'black-light effects.'

Silicone diodes to generate energy from Wind & Solar

The inspiration is emerged for the woven silicone diodes from the solar technology of Japan, like the way a forest absorbs sun light from every angle of the canopy. With wildfires, drought, floods and so on, while climate change is creating increasing uncertainty worldwide, this work of art illustrates the potential of a post carbon future (Shimmering halo generator by Grimshaw Architects captures solar energy from all angles 2018). The designed birds in sculpture have

numerous tiny spherical balls of 1.2 to 1.8mm in diameter which are woven together in the frame of birds to capture every possible sunlight from the sun. These silicone balls have electrodes on opposite side of the balls which helps to harvest the energy. The annual power generation for the balls woven in the sculpture results in 3.21 MWh/annum from the solar absorption (PV Lighthouse n.d.). These balls are fitted in way that it can also revolves on its axis from the wind, thus, this makes it more efficient energy harvesting than any other solar absorption technology. The balls rotate with average annual wind speed of 6 km/h which generates 2.54 MWh energy per year. Thus, the birds designed in the proposed sculpture generates total energy of 5.75 MWh/annum (PV Lighthouse n.d.). The energy generation calculations are considered for the sphere photovoltaic balls from Sphelar (What is Sphelar® - Technology n.d.). The module produces greater cumulative energy based on crystalline silicon balls. In practical application, the amount of incoming light cells can absorb is crucial, as is not just the photo-electric conversion efficiency. absorb sunlight better and more constantly than typical flat solar cells when capturing rays from all directions.

Figure 12: Amorphous Silicon spheres (left) and Enlarged image of the balls (right) Source: (What is Sphelar® - Technology n.d.)

Figure 13: Daytime hourly output comparison for the Sphelar photovoltaic film Vs Conventional photovoltaic panels

Source: (What is Sphelar® - Technology n.d.)