Solar energy is an abundant, free, unlimited, renewable and continuous flow of energy that can be utilised to meet the future challenges of energy need. The sun, is like a fusion reactor that has been burning over 4 billion years. If we harness whole energy of sun, it’s one minute supply meets the world's energy needs for one year. In one day, it provides more energy than our current population would consume in 27 years. In fact, "The amount of solar radiation striking the earth over a three-day period is equivalent to the energy stored in all fossil energy sources." In 1839 a French physicist named Edmund Becquerel realized that the sun's energy could produce a "photovoltaic effect" (photo = light, voltaic = electrical potential). In the 1880s, selenium photovoltaic (PV) cells were developed that could convert light into electricity with 1-2% efficiency.
When sunlight strike the solar cell, the electrons their atoms, allowing the electrons to flow through the material to produce electricity. This process of converting light (photons) to electricity (voltage) is called the photovoltaic (PV) effect. Solar energy technologies use the sun's energy and light to provide heat, light, hot water, electricity, and even cooling, for homes, businesses, and industry.
There are two main types of solar technologies I.e. photovoltaics (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP). Solar PV technology captures sunlight to generate electric power, and CSP harnesses the sun’s heat and uses it to generate thermal energy that powers heaters or turbines.
Currently solar panels convert most of the visible light spectrum and about half of the ultraviolet and infrared light spectrum to usable solar energy. A solar panel uses photovoltaic technique to capture sunlight’s photons. These solar panels each have many solar cells made up of layers of different materials. An anti-reflective coating on top helps the cell capture as much light as possible. Beneath that is a semiconductor (usually silicone) sandwiched between a negative conductor on top and a positive conductor on bottom. Once the photons are captured by the solar cell, they begin releasing the outer electrons of atoms within the semiconductor. The negative and positive conductors create a pathway for the electrons and an electric current is created. This electric current is sent to wires that capture the DC electricity. These wires lead to a solar inverter, which then transforms it into the AC electricity used in homes. The more solar cells you install, the more electricity is produced.
Benefits:
Solar energy may have had great potential , but it was left on the backburner whenever fossil fuels were more affordable and available. "Only in the last few decades when growing energy demands, increasing environmental problems and declining fossil fuel resources made us look to alternative energy options have we focused our attention on truly exploiting this tremendous resource.
PV technology has been in use much longer, proving its usefulness.
PV energy is much more versatile, since it converts sunlight directly into electricity without generator.
No harmful emissions are released into the air when electricity is produced by solar panels. The photovoltaic process that transforms sunlight into electricity doesn’t require any fuel and has no variable costs. sun provides more energy than we’ll ever need, electricity from solar power is a very important energy source in the move to clean energy production. After solar panels have been installed, operational costs are quite low compared to other forms of power generation.
Fuel isn’t required, and this means that solar power can create large amounts of electricity without the uncertainty and expense of securing a fuel supply.
The average solar cell is approximately 15% efficient, which means nearly 85% of the sunlight that hits them does not get converted into electricity. This is a major obstacle that solar energy systems must overcome to achieve exponential growth in the energy industry.
Because of this inefficiency, the solar industry is investing heavily in finding new ways of improving the efficiency of solar energy systems, with 3 of the biggest developments being in solar energy storage, perovskites, and multi-junction cells.
Perovskites:
Perovskite (CaTIO3) is a naturally occurring mineral that displays a wide variety of useful properties, the most important one of which is superconductivity. Perovskites potentially serve as a superior alternative to traditional solar cells. For one, perovskite solar cells are flexible and easy to produce. They can be painted or sprayed on a surface from an ink solution or churned out of a printer like a newspaper. That flexibility means they can be attached to virtually anywhere. Silicon solar panels, the primary type used today on rooftops and in utility-scale power plants alike, tend to achieve about 20% efficiency, meaning they capture a fifth of the energy that passes through and turn it into electricity. A perovskite solar cell reached a record 22.7% efficiency last summer and researchers say that number is likely to continue to rise with continued to research. The theoretical maximum efficiency of perovskites tops 40%. And because perovskites are so thin, they could be applied to silicon modules that have already been built, boosting electricity production. However, there are some technical hurdles to overcome with panels made out of perovskites, as perovskites decompose far too quickly to be implemented in real world applications.
If this technical hurdle can be solved, and if perovskite panel efficiency can surpass silicon panel efficiency, then the solar market will undoubtedly make the switch, resulting in even more growth and a greater variety in solar energy production.
Multi-Junction Cells:
Multi-junction cells are essentially regular PV panels but with added layers to increase efficiency.
Each layer of a multi-junction cell is optimized to a particular wavelength, effectively increasing the efficiency of the panel to rates as high as 40%. When these multi-junction cells are used in an array, the amount of total electricity that can be generated from them (compared to traditional panels) increases exponentially.
Solar Energy Storage:
A major obstacle to solar energy production comes in the form of solar energy storage.
Solar energy storage is crucial to the success of future energy systems because, without it, any excess electricity that is generated throughout the day cannot be utilized at a later time when sunlight isn’t as plentiful (like at night).
Energy storage allows solar energy plants to store excess energy so that it can be sold and used at a later time for a variety of reasons, including load leveling, emergency preparedness, and grid stabilization.
While these solar battery storage systems seem like a no-brainer, there is still much work to be done in bringing down the costs of these systems as they primarily consist of expensive lithium-ion batteries.
As costs go down and efficiency goes up, we should start to see battery storage installations become more commonplace in the future.
The past few years in the solar industry have been a race to the top in terms of solar cell efficiency, and recent times have been no different. A number of achievements by various panel manufacturers have brought us to today’s current record for solar panel efficiency: 23.5 percent, held by premium panel manufacturer.
Scientists are exploring ways to actually line highways and roads with solar panels that would then be used to deploy large amounts of electricity to the grid. Scientists are also resurrecting a technology that was first tested over forty years ago in which space-based satellites capture sunlight and convert it into microwave energy that is then beamed back to earth. This type of technology promises to capture significant more amount of sunlight (nearly ninety percent) since satellites can be positioned to optimize light capture round the clock.
When sunlight strike the solar cell, the electrons their atoms, allowing the electrons to flow through the material to produce electricity. This process of converting light (photons) to electricity (voltage) is called the photovoltaic (PV) effect. Solar energy technologies use the sun's energy and light to provide heat, light, hot water, electricity, and even cooling, for homes, businesses, and industry.
There are two main types of solar technologies I.e. photovoltaics (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP). Solar PV technology captures sunlight to generate electric power, and CSP harnesses the sun’s heat and uses it to generate thermal energy that powers heaters or turbines.
Currently solar panels convert most of the visible light spectrum and about half of the ultraviolet and infrared light spectrum to usable solar energy. A solar panel uses photovoltaic technique to capture sunlight’s photons. These solar panels each have many solar cells made up of layers of different materials. An anti-reflective coating on top helps the cell capture as much light as possible. Beneath that is a semiconductor (usually silicone) sandwiched between a negative conductor on top and a positive conductor on bottom. Once the photons are captured by the solar cell, they begin releasing the outer electrons of atoms within the semiconductor. The negative and positive conductors create a pathway for the electrons and an electric current is created. This electric current is sent to wires that capture the DC electricity. These wires lead to a solar inverter, which then transforms it into the AC electricity used in homes. The more solar cells you install, the more electricity is produced.
Benefits:
Solar energy may have had great potential , but it was left on the backburner whenever fossil fuels were more affordable and available. "Only in the last few decades when growing energy demands, increasing environmental problems and declining fossil fuel resources made us look to alternative energy options have we focused our attention on truly exploiting this tremendous resource.
PV technology has been in use much longer, proving its usefulness.
PV energy is much more versatile, since it converts sunlight directly into electricity without generator.
No harmful emissions are released into the air when electricity is produced by solar panels. The photovoltaic process that transforms sunlight into electricity doesn’t require any fuel and has no variable costs. sun provides more energy than we’ll ever need, electricity from solar power is a very important energy source in the move to clean energy production. After solar panels have been installed, operational costs are quite low compared to other forms of power generation.
Fuel isn’t required, and this means that solar power can create large amounts of electricity without the uncertainty and expense of securing a fuel supply.
The average solar cell is approximately 15% efficient, which means nearly 85% of the sunlight that hits them does not get converted into electricity. This is a major obstacle that solar energy systems must overcome to achieve exponential growth in the energy industry.
Because of this inefficiency, the solar industry is investing heavily in finding new ways of improving the efficiency of solar energy systems, with 3 of the biggest developments being in solar energy storage, perovskites, and multi-junction cells.
Perovskites:
Perovskite (CaTIO3) is a naturally occurring mineral that displays a wide variety of useful properties, the most important one of which is superconductivity. Perovskites potentially serve as a superior alternative to traditional solar cells. For one, perovskite solar cells are flexible and easy to produce. They can be painted or sprayed on a surface from an ink solution or churned out of a printer like a newspaper. That flexibility means they can be attached to virtually anywhere. Silicon solar panels, the primary type used today on rooftops and in utility-scale power plants alike, tend to achieve about 20% efficiency, meaning they capture a fifth of the energy that passes through and turn it into electricity. A perovskite solar cell reached a record 22.7% efficiency last summer and researchers say that number is likely to continue to rise with continued to research. The theoretical maximum efficiency of perovskites tops 40%. And because perovskites are so thin, they could be applied to silicon modules that have already been built, boosting electricity production. However, there are some technical hurdles to overcome with panels made out of perovskites, as perovskites decompose far too quickly to be implemented in real world applications.
If this technical hurdle can be solved, and if perovskite panel efficiency can surpass silicon panel efficiency, then the solar market will undoubtedly make the switch, resulting in even more growth and a greater variety in solar energy production.
Multi-Junction Cells:
Multi-junction cells are essentially regular PV panels but with added layers to increase efficiency.
Each layer of a multi-junction cell is optimized to a particular wavelength, effectively increasing the efficiency of the panel to rates as high as 40%. When these multi-junction cells are used in an array, the amount of total electricity that can be generated from them (compared to traditional panels) increases exponentially.
Solar Energy Storage:
A major obstacle to solar energy production comes in the form of solar energy storage.
Solar energy storage is crucial to the success of future energy systems because, without it, any excess electricity that is generated throughout the day cannot be utilized at a later time when sunlight isn’t as plentiful (like at night).
Energy storage allows solar energy plants to store excess energy so that it can be sold and used at a later time for a variety of reasons, including load leveling, emergency preparedness, and grid stabilization.
While these solar battery storage systems seem like a no-brainer, there is still much work to be done in bringing down the costs of these systems as they primarily consist of expensive lithium-ion batteries.
As costs go down and efficiency goes up, we should start to see battery storage installations become more commonplace in the future.
The past few years in the solar industry have been a race to the top in terms of solar cell efficiency, and recent times have been no different. A number of achievements by various panel manufacturers have brought us to today’s current record for solar panel efficiency: 23.5 percent, held by premium panel manufacturer.
Scientists are exploring ways to actually line highways and roads with solar panels that would then be used to deploy large amounts of electricity to the grid. Scientists are also resurrecting a technology that was first tested over forty years ago in which space-based satellites capture sunlight and convert it into microwave energy that is then beamed back to earth. This type of technology promises to capture significant more amount of sunlight (nearly ninety percent) since satellites can be positioned to optimize light capture round the clock.
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