Monument to the Sun

Last updated
Monument to the Sun
Greeting to the Sun
Spomenik suncu
Pozdrav suncu
Zadar Lichtspiel-Monument.jpg
Monument to the Sun (center) and Sea organ (right)
Monument to the Sun
44°07′03″N15°13′11″E / 44.11761°N 15.21984°E / 44.11761; 15.21984
Designer Nikola Bašić
Material Solar panels
Completion date2008
Dedicated to Sun

Monument to the Sun or The Greeting to the Sun (Croatian : Pozdrav suncu) is a monument in Zadar, Croatia dedicated to the Sun. It consists of a 22-meter diameter circle representing the Sun, with three hundred, multi-layered glass plates placed on the same level as the stone-paved waterfront, with photovoltaic solar modules underneath. Lighting elements installed in the circle turn on at night and produce a light show. Smaller circles represent the planets. The monument symbolizes communication with nature, communicates with light, while the nearby Sea organ communicates with sound. The monument to the Sun and the Sea organ were both designed by Croatian architect Nikola Bašić.

Contents

Location

Monument is located on the western point of the Zadar peninsula Pozdrav suncu 0408 3.jpg
Monument is located on the western point of the Zadar peninsula

The monument is located at the entrance to the port of the Croatian town of Zadar on the western point of the Zadar peninsula.

Design

Monument during the night Gruss an die Sonne Noikola Basic 04.JPG
Monument during the night

The monument consists of 300 multi-layered glass plates placed on the same level with the stone-paved waterfront in the shape of a 22-meter diameter circle. Beside the main (Sun) installation, looking from the west side are similar smaller installations representing the planets of the Solar System. The size of the Sun and planets are proportional, as well as the distance from the center of each plate, but the size and distance proportions are different because the planets are so far away. Beneath the glass are photovoltaic solar modules with lighting elements which turn on at night, and produce a light show. [1] [2] [3]

On the chrome ring that surrounds the photovoltaics on the Sun are inscribed the names of all of the saints after which churches on the Zadar peninsula have been named. Next to their names and their feast dates are the declination and the altitude of the Sun north or south of the equator (DEC minimum of -23 degrees to a maximum of 23 degrees), the length of the sunlight in the meridian on that day, and in that place on the waterfront, which makes this Monument kind of a calendar. This was prepared in cooperation with marine scientist Professor Maksim Klarin from Zadar Maritime School. Professor Klarin designed the light show's start and end times for 50 years starting in 2008. [4]

Solar modules

The photovoltaic solar modules absorb light energy, transform it into electricity and release it into the power network. The entire system annually produces about 46,500 kWh. It produces half of the energy needed for lighting the Zadar waterfront. [3]

Cost

The construction cost was 8 million kunas (excluding VAT) (c. 1,3 million euros), while the overall cost (including landscaping) totaled 50 million kunas (c. 7 million euros). Maintenance due to its exposure to sunlight, moisture and salt from 2008-2013 totaled around 700 thousand kunas. [5] An extensive renovation and upgrade project worth 4 million kunas was completed in March 2019. [6]

Vandalized solar module Monument to the Sun (vandalizam).jpg
Vandalized solar module

Vandalism

Damage, such as cracks on solar modules, have been seen on several occasions, mostly on the Sun installation, where 12 solar modules have been damaged, as well as on Jupiter and Saturn. The cracks were caused by a 3500 kg pickup truck that drove over the modules. The City added a 24-hour supervisor and surveillance cameras. In June 2009, an unidentified object smashed four modules, and on the night of August 8, two more. [7] On May 5, 2019, a young man smashed modules with a hammer, causing €90,000 worth of damage. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar energy</span> Radiant light and heat from the Sun, harnessed with technology

Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar power to generate electricity, solar thermal energy, and solar architecture. It is an essential source of renewable energy, and its technologies are broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solar depending on how they capture and distribute solar energy or convert it into solar power. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic systems, concentrated solar power, and solar water heating to harness the energy. Passive solar techniques include orienting a building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light-dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Photovoltaics</span> Method to produce electricity from solar radiation

Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially used for electricity generation and as photosensors.

A pyranometer is a type of actinometer used for measuring solar irradiance on a planar surface and it is designed to measure the solar radiation flux density (W/m2) from the hemisphere above within a wavelength range 0.3 μm to 3 μm.

In the 19th century, it was observed that the sunlight striking certain materials generates detectable electric current – the photoelectric effect. This discovery laid the foundation for solar cells. Solar cells have gone on to be used in many applications. They have historically been used in situations where electrical power from the grid was unavailable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Photovoltaic effect</span> Electric current generation from light

The photovoltaic effect is the generation of voltage and electric current in a material upon exposure to light. It is a physical phenomenon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar cell</span> Photodiode used to produce power from light on a large scale

A solar cell or photovoltaic cell is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by means of the photovoltaic effect. It is a form of photoelectric cell, a device whose electrical characteristics vary when it is exposed to light. Individual solar cell devices are often the electrical building blocks of photovoltaic modules, known colloquially as "solar panels". Almost all commercial PV cells consist of crystalline silicon, with a market share of 95%. Cadmium telluride thin-film solar cells account for the remainder. The common single-junction silicon solar cell can produce a maximum open-circuit voltage of approximately 0.5 to 0.6 volts.

Nine Views is an ambiental installation in Zagreb, Croatia which, together with the sculpture Prizemljeno Sunce, comprises a scale model of the Solar System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar panel</span> Assembly of photovoltaic cells used to generate electricity

A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. The electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct current (DC) electricity, which can be used to power various devices or be stored in batteries. Solar panels are also known as solar cell panels, solar electric panels, or PV modules.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar tracker</span> Device that orients a payload towards the Sun

A solar tracker is a device that orients a payload toward the Sun. Payloads are usually solar panels, parabolic troughs, Fresnel reflectors, lenses, or the mirrors of a heliostat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artificial sunlight</span>

Artificial sunlight is the use of a light source to simulate sunlight where the unique characteristics of sunlight are needed, but where sufficient natural sunlight is unavailable or infeasible. A device used to simulate sunlight is a solar simulator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Building-integrated photovoltaics</span> Photovoltaic materials used to replace conventional building materials

Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) are photovoltaic materials that are used to replace conventional building materials in parts of the building envelope such as the roof, skylights, or façades. They are increasingly being incorporated into the construction of new buildings as a principal or ancillary source of electrical power, although existing buildings may be retrofitted with similar technology. The advantage of integrated photovoltaics over more common non-integrated systems is that the initial cost can be offset by reducing the amount spent on building materials and labor that would normally be used to construct the part of the building that the BIPV modules replace. In addition, BIPV allows for more widespread solar adoption when the building's aesthetics matter and traditional rack-mounted solar panels would disrupt the intended look of the building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun valve</span> Automatic daytime shutoff valve for gas-powered lights

A sun valve is a flow control valve that automatically shuts off gas flow during daylight. It earned its inventor Gustaf Dalén the 1912 Nobel Prize in Physics. Subsequently other variants of sun valve were developed for different uses.

A photovoltaic system, also called a PV system or solar power system, is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to absorb and convert sunlight into electricity, a solar inverter to convert the output from direct to alternating current, as well as mounting, cabling, and other electrical accessories to set up a working system. Many utility-scale PV systems use tracking systems that follow the sun's daily path across the sky to generate more electricity than fixed-mounted systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector</span>

Photovoltaic thermal collectors, typically abbreviated as PVT collectors and also known as hybrid solar collectors, photovoltaic thermal solar collectors, PV/T collectors or solar cogeneration systems, are power generation technologies that convert solar radiation into usable thermal and electrical energy. PVT collectors combine photovoltaic solar cells, which convert sunlight into electricity, with a solar thermal collector, which transfers the otherwise unused waste heat from the PV module to a heat transfer fluid. By combining electricity and heat generation within the same component, these technologies can reach a higher overall efficiency than solar photovoltaic (PV) or solar thermal (T) alone.

Skyline Solar was a Concentrated Photovoltaic (CPV) company based in Mountain View, California. The company developed medium-concentration photovoltaic systems to produce electricity for commercial, industrial and utility scale solar markets. The company was founded in 2007 by Bob MacDonald, Bill Keating and Eric Johnson. The operation of the company appears to have ceased in late 2012 and the website is deactivated.

GreenSun Energy is a Jerusalem-based Israeli company that has developed a new process for producing electricity from solar energy. As The Economist points out, solar energy is a logical development since "Israel is a country with plenty of sunshine, lots of sand and quite a few clever physicists and chemists." The company was founded in 2012 with the goal of helping businesses and individuals reduce their carbon footprint and save money on energy costs. GreenSun Energy operates in a number of locations across the United States, and offers a variety of financing options to make it easier for customers to adopt renewable energy technologies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concentrator photovoltaics</span> Use of mirror or lens assemblies to generate current from multi-junction solar cells

Concentrator photovoltaics (CPV) is a photovoltaic technology that generates electricity from sunlight. Unlike conventional photovoltaic systems, it uses lenses or curved mirrors to focus sunlight onto small, highly efficient, multi-junction (MJ) solar cells. In addition, CPV systems often use solar trackers and sometimes a cooling system to further increase their efficiency.

Amonix, Inc. was a solar power system developer based in Seal Beach, California. The company manufactured concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) products designed for installation in sunny and dry climates. CPV products convert sunlight into electrical energy in the same way that conventional solar photovoltaic technology does, except that they use optics to focus the solar radiation before the light is absorbed by solar cells. According to a comparative study of energy production of solar technologies, CPV systems require no water for energy production and produce more energy per megawatt (MW) installed than traditional PV systems. Amonix had nearly 70 megawatts of CPV solar power systems deployed globally, including Southwestern U.S. and Spain.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to solar energy:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar energy in Finland</span> Overview of solar energy in Finland

Solar energy in Finland is used primarily for water heating and by the use of photovoltaics to generate electricity. As a northern country, summer days are long and winter days are short. Above the Arctic Circle, the sun does not rise some days in winter, and does not set some days in the summer. Due to the low sun angle, it is more common to place solar panels on the south side of buildings instead of on the roof. Mounting them vertically reduces the average output by 22% from mounting at a 60° angle.

References

  1. "Turistička zajednica Grada Zadra - Vodič - Atrakcije - Pozdrav Suncu".
  2. "Zadarski pozdrav suncu".
  3. 1 2 "INSTALACIJA "POZDRAV SUNCU"" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  4. "Astronomski podaci na instalaciji Pozdrav Suncu - Zadarski list". 22 October 2009.
  5. "Je li cijena zadarske atrakcije Pozdrav Suncu previsoka?". Vijesti.hr. 17 February 2013.
  6. "4 milijuna kuna vrijedan projekt; Tek otvoren Pozdrav Suncu opet - oštećen!". 28 March 2019.
  7. B.V. "Vandali ponovno oštetili zadarsku atrakciju Pozdrav suncu". Dnevnik.hr.
  8. "Vandal Destroys 'Monument to the Sun' in Zadar, Damage Worth 660,000 Kuna". Total Croatia News. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.