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Solar panel impact analysis essay
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Ominous black clouds formed overhead as we drove down the highway. I heard a crash of thunder, and the first drops of rain spattered down. I looked to the side of the road and saw a building with rows of solar panels in front of it. To my surprise, the water droplets that touched the surface sizzled and made a small pool of foggy steam above the blue cells. “When the solar panels get so hot, their efficiency must surely be reduced,” I speculated, remembering the bright sunlight and scorching heat from only a few minutes ago. Life on Earth owes its existence to the Sun. The Sun’s immense ongoing nuclear reaction envelops us in its warmth and brightness, and enough of its energy reaches Earth in a day to power our world for a year. We can harness a fraction of this energy by using solar cells, which utilize the photoelectric effect to create electric current from the photons in sunlight (1, 2). Could it be that solar cells’ reduced efficiency due to overheating from the sun precludes them from being the clean renewable energy source of the future? Research on this topic indicated that this is, indeed, a shocking truth. Solar cells are made of layers of semiconductor material, which expand at different rates when heated. This moves electron junctions apart, or places where electrons can ‘jump’ from one layer to another, and thereby drastically reduce the voltage (2). The most efficient solar cells today (multijunction devices of InGaP/GaAs/InGaAs) have reached around 35% photon-electron conversion under laboratory conditions (1). I was flabbergasted to learn how inefficient commercial solar cells are and became intrigued with the prospect of increasing their efficiency. Solar cells work by allowing photons to knock electrons loose ... ... middle of paper ... ...ter or saline waters of the ocean, opening up opportunities for novel aquatic solar energy collection. Placing solar cells just below the surface of the seawater would not only result in active cooling, but also make them more efficient and allow large-scale electricity generation. I believe this is only one of the many ways the results of my experiment can be implemented in real life. As I demonstrated, specific liquid mediums can be used to increase the efficiency of conventional solar cells by as much as 6%, just by implementing something as simple as a layer of aqueous solution above the solar cells. Applying this promising strategy can transmute solar panels into a viable, attractive, ‘clean’ energy source, helping to preserve our planet for posterity - since as in John Audubon’s words, “...the world is not given by our fathers, but borrowed from our children.”
Lof, George. “Solar Energy: An Infinite Source of Clean Energy.” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Vol 410:52
The Effect of Intensity on the Power of Solar Cells This experiment involves changing the intensity of light falling on different cells and measuring their power outputs. Higher intensity of light means that there are more photons hitting the surface of the cell per unit area per second. The more hit the cell, the more rapidly the electrons move across the p-n junction, so the larger the emf produced. If the rate of movement of electrons is inhibited, then the greater the rate of supply of photons (intensity), the more will not successfully excite an electron, so the lower the efficiency of the cell.
Photovoltaic electrical energy is the result of the “photoelectric effect”, a phenomena that occurs when metals are exposed to sunlight. The photovoltaic effect results in both a voltage and a current, the two ingredients for electricity’s generation. This is defined as a clean energy mechanism as the source of the energy is the sun and results in electrical energy being generated without the “products of combustion: Carbon Dioxide CO2” as is the case with fossil fuels (coal, gas, oil). It’s ad...
Although Solar Energy is a flexible source of where energy could be directly or indirectly converted into forms of energy, it’s still not perfect. With its inefficiency, scientists are trying to find alternative solution to store solar cells for as long as possible. The main process of capturing solar energy happens at the nanoscale. With solar cells, it gets more efficient the tinier it gets. The converting rate of solar energy is equally price competitive as fossil fuel, with a dollar per watt of solar energy. With the help of nanotechnology, it could help raise solar energy conversion efficiency and help lower costs making it the ultimate method of raw energy conversion. To make sure the process of generating energy is kept at a low cost and energy output...
Rotman, David. "Finding a Solar Solution." Technology Review 2 (2012): 48-51. Print. 22 November 2014.
Siegel, RP. "Solar Thermal: Pros and Cons - Part 1: Solar Heating and Cooling." Triple Pundit RSS. N.p., 21 May 2012. Web. 04 Mar. 2014. .
At our new house, we have two stand alone pedestals with six 170W panels on each pedestal, making for 2040W or 2kW solar system. According to Mr. Solar.com, “this type of energy production, known as the Photovoltaic Effect, is achieved by solar panels converting sunlight into energy. Solar panels are made up of several individual solar cells, composed of layers of silicon, phosphorous (which provides the negative charge), and boron (which provides the positive charge). Solar panels absorb the sunlight’s photons and by doing so initiate an electric current, producing electrons. The resulting energy generated from photons striking the surface of the solar panel allows electrons to be knocked out of their atomic orbits and released into an electric field generated by the solar cells, which then pull these free electrons into a DC or directional current.” This electricity then proceeds to a mechanical room beneath our house to a charge controller, which regulates the amount of energy sent to our 24V batteries to be stored. From these batteries, the electricity goes to an inverter, which then changes the DC to AC or alternating current in order to use our modern electrical appliances and gadgets.
How Efficient is Solar Energy Technology? Engineering Challenges. n. d. a. d. a. d. d. 8 April 2014. http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9082.aspx>. How do Nuclear Plants Work?”
The Importance of Photosynthesis and What it Does for Life According to scientists, life is “the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death, also the way of life of a human being or animal. ”("Life,”) In order for one to have life, one must have the nine characteristics to be considered a living thing. These nine characteristics are: all living things are made up of cells, living things are able to reproduce, living things use energy, maintain homeostasis, respond and adapt to the environment, grow and develop, have a life span, evolve over time, and are interdependent. All of the nine characteristics have one thing in common, something that is needed for all living things to work, even if they do not know it.
One of the most common unanswered questions scientists find themselves asking is "Is there life on other planets?" Since the first famously documented UFO sighting in 1947, the idea of extra-terrestrial life has been debated almost non-stop. The subject has inspired many TV programs, such as The X-Files, and films (Mars Attacks, Independence Day, and the Men in Black films to name but a few). Scientists have come up with many new ideas and ways of trying to either prove or disprove the existence of life elsewhere.
Photosynthesis is the process in which living cells from plants and other organisms use sunlight to produce nutrients from carbon dioxide and water, the image below “Diagram of photosynthesis 1,” helps show this process. Photosynthesise generally creates oxygen as a by-product through the use of the green pigment, chlorophyll, found in the plant that helps this reaction occur. “Photosynthesis provides us with most of the oxygen we need in order to breathe. We, in turn, exhale the carbon dioxide needed by plants,” (factmonster,2017). This is able to show us why photosynthesis is so greatly needed to occur through plants in order to give one another essentials needed for continuity of life. “Plants perform photosynthesis because it generates the food and energy they need for growth and cellular respiration,” (photosynthesieeducation, 2016).
Hopefully we all know how important the Sun is to us. However, some often forget why that is. The Sun is the star at the center of the solar system and is the most important star for the living and non-living organisms on Earth do to the fact that it provides the light energy and the heat needed to support life. Without the heat and light that it provides, the Earth would be lifeless and a ball of ice. The sun was created in a vast cloud of gas and dust over five billion years ago. . Over a period of many millions of years, this gas and dust began to fall into a common center under the force of its own gravity. At the center, an ever growing body of mass was forming. As the matter fell inward, it generated a tremendous amount of heat and pressure.
The photovoltaic effect, electricity can be created directly from sunlight. Some semi-conductor materials that are exposed to sunlight can create electron-hole pairs, which can be collected to produce electricity. This occurs when photons have energy above a certain threshold. These photons have shorter wavelengths. In silicon, the threshold for electron-hole production is in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
One of the most compelling arguments for the use of renewable energy is how many forms exist of it. Nuclear power, solar power, wind power, tidal power, hydroelectric power, pumped storage, wave power, geothermal power, biomass, and biogas are the most widely known renewable energy sources (Darvill, 2013). This large selection of fuels supports the idea of renewable fuels one day powering the entire planet. All the sources of energy have different niches and benefits. Solar energy is extremely ef...
Planet Earth is home to millions of species of life, including ourselves. It is unique in the Solar System because it is the only planet which is able to support a great variety of life: from basic living micro-organisms to highly sophisticated and intelligent human beings. The planet provides the necessary resources and products to support the biosphere that can support the global living organism’s population. Yet, what factors allow Earth to sustain life? Life as we recognize it requires specific conditions to exist. The most basic of these conditions include components needed by living creatures such as water, nutrients, an energy source, and the right atmosphere and climate. Humans need to breathe oxygen and can survive in moderate temperatures- not too cold and not too hot. The atmosphere is like the Earth’s blanket, keeping it warm and protected. Other planets that we know of do not have the same conditions as Earth, so if life were to be present on other planets they would be adapted to that planet’s unique environment. Living things on Earth have adapted to this planet’s atmosphere, therefore we need the specific composition of Earth’s atmosphere to survive.