CHAPTER 1

THE PROJECT AND ITS BACKGROUND

THE PROJECT AND ITS BACKGROUND

INTRODUCTION

If there is a dream solar technology it is probably solar technology. They have no

moving parts and are consequently quiet, extremely reliable, and easy to operate.

Photovoltaic cells are a space age electronic marvel, at once the most sophisticated solar

technology and the simplest, most environmentally benign source of electricity yet

conceived.

Solar technology isn’t new. Its history spans from the 7th Century B.C. to today.

We started out concentrating the sun’s heat with glass and mirrors to light fires. Today, we

have everything from solar-powered buildings to solar-powered vehicles.

Solar technology research and development will continue intense interest in new

materials, cell designs, and novel approaches to solar material and product development.

It is a future where the clothes you wear and your mode of transportation can produce

power that is clean and safe. Technology roadmaps for the future outline the research and

development path to full competitiveness of concentrating solar power with conventional

power generation technologies within some time. Concentrating solar power, or solar

thermal electricity, could harness the sun’s heat energy to provide large-scale, domestically

secure, and environmentally friendly electricity.

The great problem of transforming the energy of the sun's rays into other forms of

energy for practical use has interested humanity for a long time. Scientists have calculated

that the world's resources of fossil fuels would be exhausted within one or two hundred
years if they were to remain the basic power source. However, if the growing demand for

energy could be supplied from new, additional sources, first of all, solar radiation, they

could last several thousand years. At first, solar radiation could serve as an auxiliary source

of energy in districts with a large number of sunny days per year, and then, given certain

conditions, it could become the main source.

The problem must be tackled by seeking ways of exploiting this eternal,

inexhaustible source of energy, tens of thousands of times more abundant than current

demands. In ten days, for instance, the earth receives as much warmth from the sun as we

could get by burning all the known reserves of organic fuel within the earth! However, this

enormous energy has not been exploited directly until now. Due to uncontrolled natural

processes, it is transformed into low-potential warmth difficult to employ technically, and

is lost in space without working for us. Only a comparatively insignificant portion of the

stream of radial energy is transformed into the energy of falling water, wind, or chemical

plant energy. It can be said that so far man only uses these secondary resources, while direct

radiation is only used- in cultivating plants. This radiation is of very high quality due to the

great Temperature of its source, and it can be transformed to advantage into other forms of

energy, such as mechanical, electrical and chemical. Besides, scientists, engineers and

inventors in several countries have built many experimental solar appliances which have

been tested in operation. Some of them are already profitable and are being used.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

The project’s conceptual framework shows the direct relation of the sun’s radiation

being converted to electrical energy source.

As shown in figure 1, the input of the study is composed the solar panel which

captures light from the sun.

The process of the study shows that the transmitting of the solar energy to the

storage battery is achieved through the charging module.

Finally the output process shows that the storage battery, along with its stored solar

energy, can now be used as an electrical power source for DC loads.

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

Light from the The charging module The battery, then,

Figure 1.1. “The Conceptual Framework of the Study”

The project is titled “MOBILE SOLAR-POWERED GRILL SYSTEM: AN

APPLICATION OF SOLAR TECHNOLOGY”.

This project study will provide the following:

1. A new and convenient design for food grilling.

2. A grilling station equipped to operate day and night.

3. An application of solar energy as the power source.

This project study intends to produce a functional design of an alternative source

of electrical energy for grilling, lighting, and charging which is suitable for those who look

forward for an alternative energy source.

This project study aims to:

1. Generate innovative source of electrical energy for direct current voltage.

2. Promote environmental awareness through the utilization of alternative energy.

3. Give consumers a good option for cleaner energy source.

4. Make a design that is profitable.

Active Solar Techniques – include photovoltaic panels and solar thermal collectors to

harness the energy.

Alternative Energy – refers to the energy sources other than fossil fuels. This includes all

renewable sources and nuclear energy.

Battery – it is an electrochemical cell (or enclosed and protected material) that can be

charged electrically to provide a static potential for power or released electrical charge

when needed.

Charge Controller – limits the rate at which electric current is added to or drawn from

batteries. It prevents overcharging and may protect against overvoltage, which can reduce

battery performance or lifespan, and may pose a safety risk.

Direct Current (DC) – it is the unidirectional flow or movement of electric charge carriers

(which are usually electrons). As an adjective, the term DC is used in reference to voltage

whose polarity never reverses.

Energy Harnessing Network – refers to a complex system that starts with extraction from

a variety of sources and then moves to transformation, storage, distribution and finally

utilization.

Passive Solar Techniques – include orienting in a building to the sun’s seasonal

orientation, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass, which will capture and radiate

solar energy, or designing spaces that naturally circulate solar heated air.
Photovoltaic Cell (PV Cell) – is a specialized semiconductor diode that converts visible

light into direct current. Some PV cells can also convert infrared (IR) or ultraviolet (UV)

radiation into DC electricity. PV cells are an integral of solar-electric energy systems,

which are becoming increasingly important as an alternative source of utility power.

Renewable Energy – its source is produced from sources that do not deplete or can be

replenished within a human’s lifetime.

Solar Energy – the radiant, light, and heat from the sun that has been harnessed by humans

since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies.

Solar Panels – are those devices which are used to absorb the sun’s rays and convert them

into electricity.

Solar Technology – it is characterized as either passive solar or active solar techniques,

depending on the way the energy is captured, converted and distributed.

This project study aims to impart significant data on the application of solar energy

as an alternative source of energy to the following:

To the Institution, this project study is parallel to its mission and vision especially

on preparing the students to be globally competitive.

To the Dean and Coordinator, this project study is for the purpose of advancing

the department’s goals and objectives.

To the Instructors, this project study will suffice as another learning material

regarding the application of solar technology.

To the Parents, this project study will inspire them to motivate their children to

pursue higher ideals.

To the Researchers/Students, this project study is the outcome of the actual

application of their learned theories and skills.

To the Future Researchers, this project study will provide them a guide and an

insight on understanding how a project study is conducted.