Soloros Group Project


What if we could harness the solar potential of the Himalayas Wirelessly?

The demand for electricity, especially in the developing world is increasing rapidly as populations grow and consumer electronics become cheaper. In August 2012 over 300 million people were left without electricity when India’s northern grid collapsed.  In India there is around a 10% deficit in available energy and it is predicted to rise. Over 300 million people in rural India do not have any access to electricity and this severely limits people’s life chances especially education since computers are now an essential part of competencies in all fields of life.

 


The Problem

 


The Solution

In 2011 a group of Japanese researchers published a paper examining the photovoltaic energy potential across the globe and found that the best places were the mountains of the Himalayas and the Andes.

  1. At high altitudes PV cells would produce 20% more energy than if they were at sea level since at this elevation less solar radiation is lost to the atmosphere.
  2. PV cells are more efficient at lower temperatures.  Although hot deserts are considered to be the ideal place for solar power production, the high temperatures of almost 50°C mean that current crystalline silicon solar arrays are 13% less efficient due to heat loss. Estimates from the study suggest that PV modules in the Himalayas could be 50% more efficient. 
  3. Covering less than 4% of the Himalayan region with these solar arrays can result in production of 3.1 trillion kWh. This was the annual electricity consumption of China in 2007.