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solar energy the fuel of the future
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solar energy the fuel of the future
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A Photovoltaic cell also known as PV cell is a special kind semiconductor device that converts the solar energy into electrical energy. During the process, the photons from the sunlight are captured by the semi-conductor material. The captured electrons are then used to produce energy in the form of electricity. The first practical solar cell was created by Bell Laboratories in 1954, it only produced 1 watt of energy and the cost to produce 1 watt of energy was $250. The photovoltaic cell has enabled the use of the renewable energy source leaving no carbon footprint in the environment. The conventional energy is produced by various methods such as thermal power, hydroelectricity, nuclear power, geo thermal and hydrogen fuel cells. But they are costlier than PV energy and produce pollution. The Photovoltaic power generation in the solar panels uses a large number of solar cells. There are wide ranges of material available for the production to make the solar cell. The present available materials includes monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, cadmium telluride, and copper indium gallium selenide/sulfide. Copper solar cables connect modules (module cable), arrays (array cable), and sub-fields. Because of the growing demand for renewable energy sources, the manufacturing of solar cells and photovoltaic arrays has advanced considerably in recent years. The first practical application of photovoltaic cell is to power orbiting satellites and other spacecraft. Another great example of the PV module is on the grids to connect with the power generation. In this case, an inverter is required to convert the Direct current to and alternate current. The cells that are mounted on a grid require protection from t... ... middle of paper ... ...r to the nation 2011 which is three times larger than Chinese Golmund Solar Park. The solar park is expected to save around 8 million tones carbon dioxide every year. Moreover, it will also save about 900,000 tones of the natural gas per year. The initial cost of power will be USD 0.29 per kWh for the first 12 years and after that it will lower to USD 0.10 per kWh. The electricity generated from the projects will be sold to the electric company and will be than distributed for household and commercial industries. In conclusion, the achievement is not merely a step in the direction of power conservation, but it also provides a vision to the world that how the power needs for the future generation can be solved in an environmental friendly way. The stand-alone solar project can benefit the environment and reduce the global warming. You can save green by going green!
With the growing cost of fuel for cars and the rolling blackouts of last summer, the need for an alternative, cost-effective, environment friendly energy source is escalating. Many possible solutions have been presented, such as nuclear power, wind power, and hydrogen fuel cells; prevalent among these is solar power.
A Photovoltaic solar cell (PVSC) is an electrical device which converts light from the visible spectrum into direct current (DC) electricity (Honsberg). The International Space Station (ISS) originally used purified silicon solar cells for electrical generation. Silicon cells were primarily used as a result of their relatively light weight and heat conduction properties (Wittry, 2005). In 2001, two 38ft x 239ft solar panels were installed on the ISS. The new cells were multi junction solar cells comprised of gallium indium phosphate on gallium arsenide on germanium. The germanium based cell resists oxidation, unlike its silicon oxide counterpart that experienced degradation in the upper atmosphere due to exposure to oxygen (Wiebusch, 2001). Furthermore, the Silicon based solar cell (deployed on the
Before I go in to detail about usage and implementation of solar cells, let me explain just how they work. Solar cells, also known as photovoltaic cells (Photo= light Voltaic=electricity) capture photons, convert them into electrons, and use these electrons to transfer energy to whatever you want to power. To do this, solar cells are made with a material called a semiconductor, which, for solar cells is almost always silicon. When light hits this material, it causes electrons to break loose and flow throughout the material. By placing metal plates on the solar cell, we can capture this flow of electrons, otherwise known as current. Using the equation Power= Volts * Current, you can calculate the voltage output of a cell, which, using silicon, is about 1.1 volts- a 25% or so efficiency.
Solar systems, also known as solar panels, are built to be very efficient and require very little maintenance. Technology has helped to improve the look and construction of the solar panels. The solar systems that are built and installed today have to meet very strict guidelines. “Stringent quality control in the Modern Solar supply chain ensures the quality of solar product installed on your roof is reliable, durable, and of the highest quality standards.” (“Solar Energy Benefits”). These panels are built using “monocrystalline cells that are held together with solder. They are surrounded by a hard, glass cover, polymer EVA sheet and a sp...
The main requirement was to make a cheap solar cell, we wanted our solar cell to be cheap for several reasons. The most important reason was of course our budget this may seem like a disadvantage for us but we are not the only one with this problem. The costs of solar panels are currently too high for the majority of the people ((and most of the time the panels can not even ...
Solar Photovoltaic power is one of the rapid growing energy sources in the world. The need for energy security and stability is driving governments across the world to promote and develop renewable power sources. The global solar Photovoltaic market witnessed high growth in 2009 and 2010, with 24,600 MW of installed capacity coming online in these two years compared to the 8,912 MW installed in 2007 and 2008. Cumulative installed capacity increased from 16,127 MW in 2008 to 40,727 MW in 2010. Europe is the leading solar PV market, with a share of 76% of the total cumulative installed capacity, followed by the Asia-Pacific region, accounting for a share of 16.0% in 2010.
In the last few decades, technological leaps and the scaled-up production of solar panels have made sol...
The unsustainable nature of fossil fuels as an energy source, from the point of view of future availability and environmental impact, has spurred an interest in diversification of energy sources, with particular interest in renewable energy. The photovoltaic (PV) industry is a player...
Some say that solar panels can be very costly. Even though the sun is a free resource the cost to building it is expensive. Solar power is only effective during daytime, but the demand for the energy, it is continuous...
After the solar panels absorb a certain amount of the sun’s energy. The solar panels transfers the energy through an inverter, to the power board and then back to the power grid. Without the inverter, none of this would be possible as the energy collected by the panels are DC electricity and thus cannot be used. Inverters convert DC electricity into AC electricity so they can actually be usable.
For example, people may charge their electric cars in the morning with the sunlight, and during the night the electric cars will work by saving the power from the morning; as a result, solar power runs for a long time, and people may do their work without doing any problems for the environment. Furthermore, solar energy does not use any equipment to work such as wires or cords unlike other sources like wind energy. For instance, solar power can be at the roof of the house without using any equipment, and without taking any space. On the other hand, Louwen, Sark, Schropp, Turkenburg, and Faaij (2015) stress that solar cells need to replace the material that is used or decrease the amount of the equipment used such as silver and indium since they are used in silicon cells. This might negatively impact the environment and the production cost (p. 1407). Overall, solar energy can be used as a renewable energy to reduce the pollution and protect the environment from the harmful gasses, and can be used without access to power
Solar energy is one of the renewable energy sources that are highly sought after because of its applications and also as of the cleanest forms of energy. Solar energy applications are constantly increasing in the last few years, and they are considered perhaps the most promising that can significantly contribute to the total electricity generation. Solar Photovoltaic cells (PV) and the concentrated solar power (CSP) technology are the two main technologies out there when it comes to solar energy applications. These two are discussed below.
Solar energy in simple is the energy provided by the sun known as solar radiation. This energy can be used to produce solar electricity or heating. This energy can be for domestic use or even commercial use. The solar technologies are classified into 2 types, the solar photovoltaic (PV) and the concentrated solar power (CSP). For solar photovoltaic technology, the conversion of solar energy to electrical energy directly requires solar photovoltaic cells. In brief, the sunlight strikes the PV cell, the semiconductor material of the cell will absorb part of the light, and it will energize the electrons in the material, allowing it to flow freely, creating electricity. It is known as the photovoltaic effect. The other way to produce electricity
I am certain that all have heard of the terms green house gases, fossil fuels, and global warming. Have you ever questioned what will happen if nothing is done about the environmental problems facing the world today? What if I answer you that, we can merely use the power from the sun to power up our entire planet without the use of harmful energy sources, which affect our atmosphere? The power from the sun is what we call solar power. Solar power is the energy that comes from the sun as light and heat energy, and then it is later converted into electrical energy through solar panels (Nelson, 2008). This kind of power is completely free, right? Why should we put a lot of expense on other sources of energy, when there is a complete free and healthy power? It is evident that solar energy is a healthy source of energy, which will help stop global warming all together, but it is economically efficient to switch everything to solar energy. Solar energy is capable of becoming the world's future power supply because, it is renewable, eco-friendly, and extremely efficient when strategically placed.
This paper will explore the many aspects of solar energy. From how it was discovered to what it is used for, how it is used, and the many benefits of it. Solar energy is defined as, radiant energy emitted by the sun. Solar energy has been used for many years and also has been used to generate a number of things that we use today, from solar powered cars and cell phones; solar energy is a huge aspect of human life as we know it. If it weren’t for solar energy, many things may not be able to operate and many other things may not have been discovered because of it.