CIE 2 QUESTION BANK MEE02: SOLAR ENERGY ​QUIZ

1. Air mass is defined as the distance through the atmosphere that the _________ from the sun
travels in order to reach the solar cell
a) ENERGY b) BRIGHT c) HEAVY d) LIGHT
2. Batteries store the electrical energy and supplies _________ power to the load and also when the
sunlight is very low.
a) CONSTANT b) VARYING c) SAME d) ZERO
3. Where grid is available but unreliable, off-grid PV system provides power for ____________
loads in homes.
a) PRACTICAL b) CRITICAL c) OPTICAL d) CYNICAL
4. Energy is the total ___________ of work done by the pressurized flow over a period of time
a) MOUNT b) DEMOUNT c) AMOUNT d) SURMOUNT
5. When no optical concentration is done, the device in which solar radiation collection is done is
called a ___________ plate collector
a) CURVED b) CIRCULAR c) SPHERICAL d) FLAT
6. Movement called _________ is given to the concentrator such that the sun’s rays always are
focused onto the absorber tube
a) TRACKING b) TRACING c) BACKING d) PACKING
7. To overcome the energy variability problem most applications need some type of energy
_______ system
a) GENERATION b) STORAGE c) BARRAGE d) LOCKAGE
8. A novel device which combines the functions of both collection and storage is the solar
________
a) LAKE b) RIVER c) POND d) STREAM
9. A complete unit containing the storage walls with vents and the glazing is referred to as
____________ wall
a) SIMPLE b) TROMBE c) ACTIVE d) SEMI-ACTIVE
10. In a solar _________ tower power plant, a tall central chimney is surrounded b a circular
greenhouse consisting of a transparent cover supported a few meters above ground.
a) MIXED DRAFT b) NATURAL DRAFT c) UP DRAFT d) DOWN DRAFT
11. In a _______________ dish concept, the concentrator tracks the sun by rotating about two axes
and the sun’s rays are brought to a point focus
a) CYCLOID d) CYLINDRICAL c) SPHERICAL d) PARABOLOID
12. In a central receiver system solar radiation reflected from an array of large mirrors known as
__________ is concentrated on a receiver situated at the top of a supporting tower
a) HELIOSTATS b) DIMMERSTATS c) SIMPLESTATS d) BOOMERSTATS
13. Solar ______________ is the rate at which energy is received from the sun on an unit area
perpendicular to the rays of the sun, at the mean distance of the earth from sun.
a) VARIABLE b) CONSTANT c) INDEX d) INSOLATION
14. Solar radiation received at the earth’s surface without change of direction, i.e., in line with the
sun is called ________radiation
a) TOTAL b) DIRECT c) GLOBAL d) DIFFUSE
15. The radiation received at the earth’s surface form all parts of the sky’s hemisphere (after being
subjected to scattering in the atmosphere) is called ____________ radiation
a) BEAM b) TOTAL c) GLOBAL d) DIFFUSE
16. Absorber pate surfaces which exhibit the characteristics of a high value of absorptivity for
incoming solar radiation and a low value of emissivity for outgoing re-radiation are called
_______ surfaces
a) SELECTIVE b) ELECTIVE c) DEFECTIVE d) EFFECTIVE
17. Photo Voltaic technology uses semi-conductor materials to convert ________ energy to electron
energy
a) PROTON b) NEUTRON c) ELECTRON d) PHOTON
18. Building _________ Photovoltaic Panels used as construction material and Generating power,
reduces lighting load during day time
a) INTEGRATED b) INSULATED c) CHEAPER d) EFFECTIVE
19. Solar cell is formed by a light ________ P-N junction semiconductor that absorbs light, releases
electrons & holes, creating a voltage in the cell.
a) SENSITIVE b) ACTIVE c) PASSIVE d) INSENSITIVE
20. The more the amount of light falls on the solar cell's surface, more is the probability of
___________ releasing electrons, and hence more electricity generated.
a) PROTONS b) NEUTRONS c) PHOTONS d) IONS
21. The main advantage of Schottky barrier solar cells is that they do not require high temperature
processing like diffusion, and thus, the ________ cost is reduced
a) MARKETING b) PROCESSING c) INSTALLATION d) SELLING

CIE 2 QUESTION BANK MEE02: SOLAR ENERGY ​DESCRIPTIVE

1. Calculate the angle made by beam radiation with the normal to a flat plate collector on December
1​st at 0900h located at Nagpur (21​o 06’N, 79​o 03’E) with a slope of 31​o with surface azimuth
angle of 15​o
Data Given :
For Dec 1​st​, n = 335
At 0900 hrs, ω = 45​⁰
β = 31​⁰​, LAT : ø = 21.1​⁰
Solution
δ = 23.45 sin [(360/365)(284+n)]
δ = 23.45 sin [(360/365)(284+335)]
δ = -22.11​⁰
cos θ = sin δ sin(ø - β) + cos (δ) cos(ω) cos(ø – β)
cos θ = sin (-22.11​⁰​) sin(21.1​⁰​ - 31​⁰​) + cos (-22.11​⁰​) cos(45​⁰​) cos(21.1​⁰​-31​⁰​)
cos θ = 0.71
θ = 44.75​⁰

2. Calculate the angle made by the beam radiation with the normal to a FPC on December 8​th at
0800h LAT located at Bangalore 12.92​o​N, 77.5​o​E, tilted at 15​o ​and is pointing due south
Data Given:
For Dec 8​th​, n = 342
At 0800 hrs, ω = 40​⁰
β = 15​⁰​, LAT : ø = 12.92​⁰
Solution
δ = 23.45 sin [(360/365)(284+n)]
δ = 23.45 sin [(360/365)(284+342)]
δ = -22.88​⁰
cos θ = sin δ sin(ø - β) + cos (δ) cos(ω) cos(ø – β)
cos θ = sin (-22.88​⁰​) sin(12.92​⁰​ - 15​⁰​) + cos (-22.88​⁰​) cos(40​⁰​) cos(12.92​⁰​ – 15​⁰​)
cos θ = 0.719
θ = 44​⁰

3. Calculate the angle of incidence of beam radiation on a FPC for the following data; location
21​o​N, 79​o​E, slope of collector +10​o​, surface azimuth angle 15​o date 1​st December 1979, at 9h
(IST), equation of time +11min

4. Calculate the hour angle at sunrise and sunset on June 21 and December 21 for a surface inclined
at an angle of 10​o and facing due south (γ=0​o​). The surface is located in Bombay (19​o​07’N,
72​o​51’E)
Data given​:
 ω​st = ?​
June 21​st​ , ∴n= ?
December 21​st​ , ∴n= ?
β = 10​o
γ=0​o
ø = 19​o​07’N =19.12​o
Solution​:
But, δ= 23.45 [sin (360(284+n)/365]
On June 21​st
n= (31+28+31+30+31+21)
= 172.
∴δ = 23.45 [sin (360 (284+172)/365]
= 23.45
For an inclined surface facing south magnitude of hour angle at sunrise and sunset is given by
ω​st = min [{cos​-1​(- tanø - tanδ)}, {cos​-1​(- tan(ø - β) tanδ)}]
= min [{cos​-1​(- tan19.12 – tan23.45)}, {cos​-1​(- tan(19.12 - 10) tan23.45)}]
= min [98.6, 94.0]
= 94​o
On December 21​st
n= (31+28+31+30+31+30+31+31+30+31+30+21)
= 355.
∴δ = 23.45 [sin (360 (284+355)/365]
= -23.45
For an inclined surface facing south magnitude of hour angle at sunrise and sunset is given by
ω​st = min [{cos​-1​(- tanø - tanδ)}, {cos​-1​(- tan(ø - β) tanδ)}]
= min [{cos​-1​(- tan19.12 – tan-23.45)}, {cos​-1​(- tan(19.12 - 10) tan-23.45)}]
= min [81.4, 86.0]
=81.4​o

5. Determine Local Apparent Time corresponding to 10h Indian Standard Time at Mangalore
12.91​o​N, 74.86​o​E on April 4​th​. In India, standard time is based on 82.5​o​E. Assume Equation Of
Time correction = +4 minutes on April 4​th
Data given:
LAT = ?
IST = 10h
ø = 12.91​o​N
L​loc​ = 74.86​0​E
Day = April 4​th
L​std​ = 82.50​0​E
EOT correction = +4 minutes
Solution:
Local Apparent Time = IST – 4 (L​std​ - L​loc​) + EOT correction
= 10 hours – 4 (82.5 - 75.4333) minutes + (+4) minutes
= 10 hours - 28.26 minutes + 4 minutes
= 09.5956 hours

6. Determine the average value of solar radiation on a horizontal surface on June 22​nd at a place of
latitude 10​o​ N if the constants a=0.30 and b=0.51 and the ratio n/N=0.55

7. Estimate the average daily global radiation on a horizontal surface at Srinagar (34​o 06’N, 74​o
51’E) in March. Average sunshine hour/day as 9.5. The constants are a=0.35, b=0.40. Assume H​o
as 40000kJ/m​2​/day
 8. Calculate the angle made by the beam radiation with the normal to a flat plate collector on
December 1​st at 0900h LAT. The collector is located in New Delhi (28​o​35’N, 77​o​12’E) and is
tilted at an angle of 36​o ​with horizontal and is pointing due south

9. Define latitude, declination and hour angle with a neat figure

10. Define solar constant, air mass and Beam radiation with a neat figure

11. Draw and explain a solar pond and how it can be used to store and use solar energy
A solar pond is simply a pool of
water which collects and stores
solar energy. It contains layers of
salt solutions with increasing
concentration (and therefore
density) to a certain depth, below
which the solution has a uniform
high salt concentration.
In the salt gradient solar ponds, dissolved salt is used to create layer of water of different densities- the
more salt, the denser the water.
Thus a solar pond has three layers or zones depending on the salinity with depth-
● Surface convective zone or upper convective zone (0.3-0.5m),salinity<5% (layer 1 in sketch above)
● Non-convective zone (1-1.5m), salinity increases with depth.(layer 2 in sketch above)
● Storage zone or lower convective zone (1.5-2m), salinity 20%. (layer 3 in sketch above)
The salt used in a solar pond for creating density gradient should have following characteristics:
● It must have a high value of solubility to allow high solution densities.
● The solubility should not vary appreciably with temperature.
● Its solution must be adequately transparent to solar radiation.
● It must be abundantly available and must be inexpensive.

12. Explain Trombe wall design for space heating and cooling
In colder areas of the world (including high
altitude areas within the tropics) space
heating is often required during the
winter months. Vast quantities of energy
can be used to achieve this. The use of
building materials with a high thermal
mass (which stores heat), good
insulation and large glazed areas can
increase a buildings capacity to capture
and store heat from the sun. Many technologies exist to assist with
diurnal heating needs but seasonal storage is more difficult and costly.
For passive solar design to be effective certain guidelines should be
followed:
● a building should have large areas of glazing facing the sun to
maximize solar gain
● features should be included to regulate heat intake to prevent the building from overheating
● a building should be of sufficient mass to allow heat storage for the required period
● contain features which promote the even distribution of heat throughout the building
One example of a simple passive space heating technology is the Trombe wall. A massive black painted wall
has a double glazed skin to prevent captured heat from escaping. The wall is vented to allow the warm air to
enter the room at high level and cool air to enter the cavity between the wall and the glazing. Heat stored
during the wall during the day is radiated into the room during the night. This type of technology is useful in
areas where the nights are cold but the days are warm and sunny.
 13. Explain with a neat sketch the working principle of a pyrheliometer
A pyrheliometer is an instrument which measures beam
radiation. In contrst to a pyrometer, the sensor disc is located at
the base of tube whose axis is aligned with the direction of sun
rays. Thus diffuse radiation is essentially blocked from the sensor
surface.
o Tube blackened on the inside surface (1)
o Alignment indicator (2)
o Black absorber plate (3)
o Thermopile junction (4)
o Two axis tracking mechanism (5)
In this pyrheliometer, a thin
blackened shaded manganin
strip is heated electrically until
it is at the same temperature as
a similar strip which is exposed
to the solar radiation. It is
shown schematically in below
figure.
Under steady state conditions
the energy used for heating is
equal to the absorbed solar
energy. The thermocouples on
the back of each strip, connected in opposite through a sensitive galvanometer, are used to test for the
equality of temperature. The energy H of direct radiation is calculated by means of the formula,
2
H​DN =
​ Ki​
​
Where H​DN =
​ direct radiation incident on an area normal to sun’s rays
i = heating current in amperes
K = is a dimension and instrument constant

14. Explain with a sketch the working of an instrument used to measure global solar radiation
A pyranometer is an
instrument which
measures total or global
radiation over a
hemispherical field of
view. If a shading ring is
attached, the beam
radiation is prevented
from falling on the
instrument sensor and in
then measures only the
diffuse component of the
radiation. In most
pyranometers, the sun’s radiation is allowed to fall on a black
surface to which the hot junctions of a thermopile are attached.
The cold junctions of the thermopile are located in such a way that
they do not receive the radiation. As a result, an e.m.f
proportional to the solar radiation is generated. This e.m.f
which is usually in the range of 0 to 10mV can be read, recorded or integrated over a period of time with
regular calibration of about ± 2 percent can be obtained.

15. List the Solar thermal energy applications

 WATER HEATING
● Low temperature (below
100ºC) water heating is
required in most countries
of the world for both
domestic and commercial
use.
SOLAR COOKING

● The box is lined with

insulation and a reflective
surface is applied to
concentrate the heat onto
the pots.
● The pots can be painted
black to help with heat
absorption.
CROP DRYING
● Controlled drying is
required for various crops
and products, such as
grain, coffee, tobacco,
fruits vegetables and fish
to enhance their quality.

Principles of operation of the solar cooker

SPACE HEATING
● In colder areas of the world (including high altitude areas within the tropics) space heating is often
required during the winter months
● If buildings are carefully designed to take full advantage of the solar insolation which they receive
then much of the heating requirement can be met by solar gain alone.
SPACE COOLING
● The majority of the world’s developing countries, however, lies within the tropics and have little
need of space heating.
● The majority of the world’s warm-climate cultures have again developed traditional, simple, elegant
techniques for cooling their dwellings, often using effects promoted by passive solar phenomenon.
DAY-LIGHTING
● A simple and obvious use for solar energy is to provide light for use in buildings.
● An obvious improvement would be to design buildings in such a way that that the light of the sun
can be used for this purpose.
SOLAR THERMAL POWER STATIONS
● The first is the ‘Power Tower’ design which uses thousands of sun-tracking reflectors or heliostats to
direct and concentrate solar radiation onto a boiler located atop a tower.
● Distributed collector system system uses a series of specially designed ‘Trough’ collectors which
have an absorber tube running along their length.
OTHER USES
● These include refrigeration, air conditioning, solar stills and desalination of salt water and more.
 16. Sketch and label the different parts of solar water heating system

17. What is diffuse solar radiation? How is it measured?

A
pyranometer is an instrument
which measures total or
global radiation over a
hemispherical field of view.
If a shading ring is attached,
the beam radiation is
prevented from falling on the
instrument sensor and in then
measures only the diffuse
component of the radiation.
In most pyranometers, the
sun’s radiation is allowed to
fall on a black surface to which the hot junctions of a thermopile are
attached. The cold junctions of the thermopile are located in such a way
that they do not receive the radiation. As a result, an e.m.f proportional
to the solar radiation is generated. This e.m.f which is usually in the
range of 0 to 10mV can be read, recorded or integrated over a period of
time with regular calibration of about ± 2 percent can be obtained.

18. With a neat diagram explain how intensity of beam radiation can be measured
A pyrheliometer is an instrument which measures beam
radiation. In contrst to a pyrometer, the sensor disc is
located at the base of tube whose axis is aligned with the
direction of sun rays. Thus diffuse radiation is essentially
blocked from the sensor surface.
o Tube blackened on the inside surface (1)
o Alignment indicator (2)
o Black absorber plate (3)
o Thermopile junction (4)
o Two axis tracking mechanism (5)
In this pyrheliometer, a thin blackened shaded manganin
strip is heated electrically until it is at the same
temperature as a similar
strip which is exposed to
the solar radiation. It is
shown schematically in
below figure.
Under steady state
conditions the energy
used for heating is equal
to the absorbed solar
energy. The
thermocouples on the
back of each strip,
connected in opposite through a sensitive galvanometer, are used to test for the equality of
temperature. The energy H of direct radiation is calculated by means of the formula,
HDN = Ki2
Where HDN = direct radiation incident on an area normal to sun’s rays
i = heating current in amperes
K = is a dimension and instrument constant
19. With a neat sketch explain solar air heater
A type of solar thermal
system where air is heated
in a collector and either
transferred directly to the
interior space or to a
storage medium, such as a
rock bin.
Solar air heaters use solar
panels to warm air which
is then conveyed into a
room. The basic
components of a solar air
heater include solar
collector panels, a duct
system and diffusers. Systems can operate with or without a fan. Without a fan the air is
distributed by the action of a natural ventilation system.
Solar air heaters provide free interior heating to complement conventional climate control
systems. It is important to note that the output from solar heaters is reduced when clouds reduce
the amount of sunlight. A typical solar air heater collector panel would assist in the heating of a
small room. Solar air heating is potentially suitable for any building that requires heating,
providing the collector panel can be placed on an appropriate unshaded south-facing (in the
northern hemisphere) roof or wall.

20. With a neat sketch explain the working of sunshine recorder

 The amount of sunshine du ring the day is measured on a sunshine
recorder. The glass ball focuses the sun's rays onto the special card behind
it. The rays burn the card so that the times when the sun was shining can
be read from this card. We can thus calculate the total hours of sunshine
each day. We measure sunshine in hours. Every day a new card is fitted
onto the Sunshine recorder. This card shows burn marks on it. The card
also shows time on it so we can tell when the sun started to shine, for how
long it shone and when it stopped shining.
On this card the sun Started shining at (6 AM) stopped shining at (10 AM) thus shone for 4 hours, Started
shining again at (12noon) stopped shining at (3PM) thus shone for 3 hours, Started again at (4PM) stopped
at (6PM) thus shone for 2 hours
21. Write a brief note on solar thermal energy
• Solar thermal energy (or STE) is a technology for harnessing solar energy for heat.
• Solar thermal collectors are characterized by the US Energy Information Agency as low,
medium, or high temperature collectors.
• Low temperature collectors are flat plates generally used to heat swimming pools.
• Medium-temperature collectors are also usually flat plates but are used for creating hot water
for residential and commercial use.
• High temperature collectors concentrate sunlight using mirrors or lenses and are generally
used for electric power production.
• This is different from solar photovoltaic, which convert solar energy directly into electricity.
A few examples for the different types of STE collectors are given below
• Low-temperature collectors
• Heating, cooling, and ventilation
• Process heat
• Medium-temperature collectors
• Cooking
• Disinfection and desalination
• High-temperature collectors
System designs
• Parabolic trough designs
• Power tower designs
• Dish designs
• Fresnel reflectors
• Linear Fresnel Reflector (LFR) and compact-LFR Technologies
• Fresnel lenses
• Micro CSP