Solar energy, Graphene - GS questions based on daily current affairs

ANSWER: Tamil Nadu

Explanation:
A 40 MW solar plant was commissioned near Sengottai in Virudhunagar district, making it the largest solar plant in Sengottai solar plant .

ANSWER: Graphene

Explanation:
Scientists have developed a new graphene-based battery material with charging speed five times faster than today's lithium-ion batteries.

The breakthrough by researchers at the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) in South Korea provides promise for the next generation mobile batteries and electric vehicles.

Standard lithium batteries require charging time of at least an hour to fully charge, even with quick charging technology, so numerous attempts to explore new innovative materials have been started.

Among the materials looked at, graphene, a material with high strength and conductivity, has widely become the primary source of interest.

In theory, a battery based on the "graphene ball" material requires only 12 minutes to fully charge, researchers said.

This "graphene ball" was utilised for both the anode protective layer and cathode materials.

This ensured an increase of charging capacity, decrease of charging time as well as stable temperatures.

Researchers used graphene and mass synthesised it into a 3D form using silica (SiO2).

Their research enables mass synthesis of graphene at an affordable price as the markets for mobile devices and electric vehicles is growing rapidly.

Graphene: Know More

• Graphene is an allotrope (form) of carbon consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in an hexagonal lattice.
• It is the basic structural element of many other allotropes of carbon, such as graphite, charcoal, carbon nanotubes and fullerenes.
• Graphene has many unusual properties.
• It is the strongest material ever tested,efficiently conducts heat and electricity and is nearly transparent.
• Graphene shows a large and nonlinear diamagnetism, which is greater than that of graphite, and can be levitated by neodymium magnets.

ANSWER: RM 50-03

Explanation:
Developing the world’s lightest high-performance mechanical watch RM 50-03, scientists used ‘wonder material’ graphene.

The RM 50-03 watch weighs just 40 gms.

The superlight watch was made using a unique grapheme composite known as Graph TPT.

It is incorporating graphene to manufacture a strong but lightweight new case to house the delicate watch mechanism.

It was jointly developed by the University of Manchester (UK), Richard Mille and McLaren F1.

Graph TPT weighs less than previous similar materials used in watchmaking.

Graphene is the world’s first 2D material at just one-atom thick.

It was first isolated in 2004 and has the potential to revolutionise applications including high-performance composites for the aerospace and automotive industries.

It is also used for flexible, bendable tablets, mobile phones and next-generation energy storage.

ANSWER: One which aims at minimum 10% reduction in projected demand of conventional energy

Explanation:

• The Solar City aims at minimum 10% reduction in projected demand of conventional energy at the end of five years, through a combination of enhancing supply from renewable energy sources in the city and energy efficiency measures.
• The basic aim is to motivate the local Governments for adopting renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency measures.
• In a Solar City all types of renewable energy based projects like solar, wind, biomass, small hydro, waste to energy etc. may be installed along with possible energy efficiency measures depending on the need and resource availability in the city.

ANSWER: 8

Explanation:

• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has approved a proposed master plan to develop 50 solar cities, including three in the national capital region.
• Out of the proposed 60 solar cities, sanctions have been issued for 50 cities.
• Eight cities are to be developed as ‘Model Solar Cities'.
• Of these 8 cities, Nagpur, Chandigarh, Gandhinagar and Mysore have so far been selected to be developed as ‘Model Solar Cities.
• Fifteen cities will be developed as ‘Pilot Solar Cities.’

ANSWER: Solar energy generation

Explanation:
Net metering (or net energy metering, NEM) allows consumers who generate some or all of their own electricity to use that electricity anytime, instead of when it is generated.

Monthly net metering allows consumers to use solar power generated during the day at night, or wind from a windy day later in the month.

Annual net metering rolls over a net kilowatt credit to the following month, allowing solar power that was generated in July to be used in December, or wind power from March in August.

ANSWER: Barefoot College

Explanation:

• Barefoot College, Tilonia (Rajasthan) has been promoting and training rural women solar engineers (solar mamas) from Africa in fabrication, installation, use, repair and maintenance of solar lanterns and household solar lighting under Government of India supported programmes.
• They have set up a Barefoot women vocational training college in Zanzibar Islands of Tanzania and other countries in Africa for imparting solar electrification skills (training) and distributing solar kits to trainees.
• These colleges also support various entrepreneurial skills such as bee-keeping, tailoring, etc. The solar mamas have fabricated and installed solar kits, and now maintain these solar electrification systems in their communities.

ANSWER: Women solar engineers

Explanation:

• ‘Solar Mamas’, a group of rural women solar engineers from Africa who have been trained under GOI-supported programmes to fabricate, install, use, repair and maintain solar lanterns and household solar lighting systems in their villages.

ANSWER: Finance small solar projects in poorer rural areas

Explanation:

• There will be a $40 million U.S.-India Catalytic Solar Finance Program, equally supported by the United States and India, that, by providing needed liquidity to smaller-scale renewable energy investments, particularly in poorer, rural villages that are not connected to the grid, could mobilize up to $1 billion of projects;
• This would help in expansion of handholding support to Indian utilities that are scaling up rooftop solar and continuation of successful cooperation with USAID on "Greening the Grid”.

ANSWER: Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation:

• Graphene is a two-dimensional form of carbon in which the atoms are bonded into a honeycomb arrangement.
• It can readily be prepared by the oxidation, exfoliation and subsequent reduction of graphite.
• Graphene is characterised by its unusual electronic properties: It conducts electricity and is rich in electrons that can move freely across the entire layer.
• In aqueous solution, graphene can bind positively charged ions with its electrons. This property is used in graphene-based processes to remove lead ions and organic dyes from solutions.
• This phenomenon inspired researchers to use graphene electrodes to obtain power from the impact of raindrops.
• Raindrops are not pure water. They contain salts that dissociate into positive and negative ions. The positively charged ions, including sodium, calcium and ammonium ions, can bind to the graphene surface.
• At the point of contact between the raindrop and the graphene, the water becomes enriched in positive ions and the graphene becomes enriched in delocalised electrons.
• This results in a double-layer made of electrons and positively charged ions, a feature known as a pseudocapacitor. The difference in potential associated with this phenomenon is sufficient to produce a voltage and current.