Module 4 – Understanding Data with wind and Solar(ED)

Solar Energy

Have a look at the daily solar exposure maps below for each of the seasons, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring:

Discuss the following topics /   

• What factors could influence the amount of solar exposure across the different seasons?
• Which states of Australia do you think would be the best candidates for using solar energy? Why?

Write some discussion notes below:

Solar Farms

Take a look at this map of large-Scale Solar farms in Australia:

Large Scale Solar Farm Map of Australia | RenewEconomy 

Solar Farms & where they are

Discuss the following topic:

• Are the locations and quantity of large scale solar farms where you predicted they would be based on the solar exposure maps? Take notes below.

Peak sun hours

Read of the following information below:

Peak sun hours refer to the period of time when sunlight is most intense and available for conversion into electricity. Daylight hours are the hours between sunrise and sunset.

Peak sun hours are useful when determining the size and capacity of solar panels that will meet your energy demands. Higher hours per day mean there is higher potential energy generation which allows for smaller panels to be used or for the surplus to go into energy storage or grid exportation.

Scientists measure a peak sun hour as the timeframe when the sun’s intensity is 1000 W/m² (Watts per square meter) or higher.

Peak sun hours can be calculated by adding up solar irradiance of entire day and expressing it in terms of the equivalent number of hours in 1000 W/m²  ie, A peak sun hour is the equivalent of 1000 W/m²  of sunlight for an hour. A peak sun hour represents a lot of sunlight. This information is necessary to determine what solar panel kits or portable solar generators will work the best in your location.

Class Discussion

As a class, work through the following calculation example together

STRUT dashboard Activity

Here is the video tutorial you completed in module 3 to refresh. 
Username / email: weatherstation@geelongtechschool.vic.edu.au 
Password: $trutgeelong

1. Open the STRUT weather station dashboard and click through to explore the solar radiation data. Open Strut – Strut Systems Dashboard
2. Select yesterday as the data sample range
3. Select Sum in the Aggregation drop down

Fill out the table below

You’ll notice the STRUT weather station measures solar input in Lux Level. We’ll need to convert those values to W/m2 by multiplying the Lux level by 0.0079.

1. Fill in the left column with times from the first non-zero reading to the last non-zero reading in the data on the dashboard.
2. Add up all the readings in the solar radiation column and fill in the space labelled ‘Total Solar Irradiation’

School Comparison 

Victoria, along with Tasmania, has the least amount of peak sun hours on average, with Melbourne being the least sunny major city in Australia. Melbourne only has about 2,200 hours of peak sunlight annually, which averages to between 3 – 8 hours a day.

Seasons drastically affect the amount of peak sunlight experienced per day, with winter averaging 2-3 hours a day and summer 4-6 hours.

There are three major factors that contribute to a state’s peak sunlight hours. These are the distance from the Equator, climate zone and shape.

Comparing the peak sun hours from yesterday to the information above, is the number of hours you would expect given your schools location and current season?

Daily Energy Output Calculations

You can calculate the daily energy output using the equation below, where efficiency can be assumed as 20%

Daily Energy Output = Output Power (W)  x  Peak Sun Hours (hrs) x Efficiency

Class activity

Work through this example as a class

Calculate the Daily Energy Output using the below data. 

• Output Power = 100W
• Peak Sun Hours = 3.21 hrs
• Efficiency = 20%

Electricity Comparison

Using this website https://www.solartap.com/blogs/solar-101/electrical-appliances-power-consumption-chart or the data compiled from your classroom energy audit, discuss what appliances the solar panel could power and for how long.

Wind Energy

 Exploring an interactive wind map activity (https://earth.nullschool.net/) 

• Press the earth text to open the globe in it’s own window

• Find Australia and zoom in to see the wind patterns across the country.
• Click to select a different point for each of the states, noting its longitude and latitude in the left-hand corner and write the current wind speed into the table below.

*TIP: to change the units from km/hr to the required m/s, click the “km/hr” in the bottom left hand corner and scroll through until m/s.

Victoria’s Wind map

Let’s zoom in closer and focus on just Victoria.

 Exploring an interactive wind map activity (https://earth.nullschool.net/) 

• Press the earth text to open the globe in it’s own window

Wind farm construction

Click on the link below to have a look at where there are operating and in construction large scale wind farms in Australia:

https://reneweconomy.com.au/large-scale-wind-farm-map-of-australia/

Wind farm size & locations  

As a class, discuss if the locations and size of these wind farms in Australia match with your predictions from the previous activities. Take note below

Comparing Map, BOM and STRUT weather station data

We will be jumping back into the wind map (https://earth.nullschool.net/)

• Click on the earth button in the bottom left of the interactive wind map to bring up some additional settings
  

• You can change the date of the data by clicking the calendar icon
  

• The time can also be changed by clicking the forward or back arrows
  

Class Discussion  

1. Does the data from each of the three sources match each other?
2. What data do you place more trust in and why?
3. What could be some factors for the discrepancies if there were any?