What solar energy generation is?
solar energy generation is the method or technology to convert sunlight into electricity.
Table of Contents
- Steps of solar energy generation
- Advantages of solar energy generation
- Solar energy is free and available everywhere.
- Disadvantages of solar energy generation
- Opportunities in the Solar Energy Generation
- Threats in the Solar Energy Generation
- Applications of solar energy generation
- Solar panels are made up of cells that convert sunlight into electricity.
- There are two types of photovoltaic (PV) systems
- Conclusion
Steps of solar energy generation
The main steps of solar energy generation are:
-Solar radiation passes through photovoltaic cells and solar thermal collectors.
-The electricity is generated by the photovoltaic cells or solar collectors.
-The generated electricity is fed to an inverter.
-Inverter changes the direct current (DC) produced from solar cells or collectors to alternating current (AC).
-The AC is fed to the utility grid.
-The generated amount of electricity may be recorded by a net-metering system.
-The surplus electricity is fed to the grid and the electricity retailer buys it from you at time of use.
-The electricity retailer pays you for the surplus power fed to the grid.
Advantages of solar energy generation
Solar panels are made from natural resources like silicon and aluminium.
-They have a life span of more than 25 years.
-This means they will not be outdated for a long time.
-There is no need to replace them unless you wish to add more capacity.
Solar energy is free and available everywhere.
It’s inexhaustible and very reliable.
Once installed, solar PV systems require little or no maintenance and operate for 25 years without any fuel costs
Solar PV technology can work on cloudy days, at night or in winter when there is no sunlight.
It works best where direct summer sunlight is available but it can also be used in temperate regions (mid latitude) where the sun is much less strong.
The cost of solar PV systems has been reducing, and it is now cheaper than grid electricity in many countries.
The cost per watt of installed photovoltaics has declined from more than US$4.00/Watt in 1977 to about half that in 2006.
Solar is now cost-effective and competitive with other forms of renewable power generation
Solar PV systems can be installed at any time,
meaning that you are not limited to converting your electricity supply during the summer months when there is a greater availability of sunlight.
Disadvantages of solar energy generation
There will always be some cloudy days when there is no sunlight available to convert into electricity.
The cost of initial investment may be higher than other sources of electricity generation, such as coal and gas fired power stations. However, once the solar PV system has been installed it requires very little maintenance or fuel charges.
Opportunities in the Solar Energy Generation
The demand for solar power is increasing and the cost of manufacturing solar panels continues to drop.
This means there will be good opportunities to sell solar PV systems in this area.
Most people are now aware of climate change and global warming, so they are interested in reducing their carbon footprint by using renewable energy sources like solar power.
Threats in the Solar Energy Generation
The cost of solar energy generated electricity is higher than conventional electricity generation.
High initial investment costs are a deterrent to using this renewable energy source compared to fossil fuels like coal or natural gas.
Applications of solar energy generation
Solar Energy Generation has wide range applications such as solar air conditioning systems which are used to cool buildings, agriculture, and industrial processes
To reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Use in space exploration systems;
Can be used for water purification purpose
To provide electricity to remote areas and developing countries via satellites.
I would like to conclude on Solar Energy Generation that it is a latest technology which will prove its importance in future if we use it appropriately and also I want to tell you that most of developed countries are using this technology because they know that our earth cannot support fossil fuels or non renewable energy resources.
Solar panels are made up of cells that convert sunlight into electricity.
Solar energy panels are made up of cells that convert sunlight into electricity.
This process is called the photovoltaic effect, and it is the key process that allows solar panels to produce electricity.
Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the sun.
Sunlight is a form of energy that can be harnessed with large, flat surfaces called photovoltaic cells (PVs).
These cells are made of semiconductor materials such as silicon or gallium arsenide. When sunlight hits these PV’s, electrons in these materials become excited and knock loose from their atoms thus creating free-flowing electrons which combine with positive charge carriers in the material to create electric current.
Solar panels use this reaction to produce power without combustion or moving parts.
Photovoltaic technology has come a long way since its days as merely novelty items for early adopters; it now forms the of the backbone of many solar power installations.
Commercial solar electricity generation began in the 1980s and has been growing ever since as technology costs have fallen sharply.
In 2016, a record 97 Gigawatt (GW) of solar photovoltaic capacity were installed globally, and new PV systems were being connected to the grid at a rate faster than 25 per minute – about one every 100 seconds.
Solar energy is simply radiant light and heat from the sun that reaches earth’s surface after being emitted by the sun’s atmosphere.
The amount of sunlight reaching Earth depends on how high above the horizon you are located and how clear your view of the sky may be.
Solar energy is available around the clock but is affected by weather conditions such as rainfall, clouds and temperature.
The sun is the most abundant source of energy in our universe, and it has been harnessed to do work – providing light and heat for thousands of years.
In ancient times, the Egyptians used curved mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto statues.
About 1,000 B.C., Greeks and Romans began using large wooden dishes called heliostats that focused sunlight on their fields during the growing season.
Today’s solar thermal electric systems are descendants of this technology as well as that used by some Native American tribes who also used concentration methods to warm homes and cook food in central North America before Europeans arrived in the new world.
There are two types of photovoltaic (PV) systems
Direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC).
DC systems
It produce less power but require less maintenance than AC systems do
It are connected to batteries
Most DC systems today are grid-tied
AC systems
This type of system still requires battery backup, usually a lead-acid battery
It can be used to power equipment that has AC current, such as a refrigerator or microwave
The panels are connected to an inverter because DC power coming directly from the panels is not useful in most homes
Inverters change DC current into AC current, which can be used in homes.
There are three main types of solar cells: monocrystalline, polycrystalline and amorphous.
These cells are composed of semiconductors or silicon.
Monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar cells are most common, but they have different surface areas.
Monocrystalline cells have less surface area but are more efficient at generating energy than polycrystalline cells, which are made up of many small crystalline materials.
Amorphous solar panels are less efficient than monocrystalline or polycrystalline cells, but they take less space.
Conclusion
Solar panels generate power from light.
The more sunlight a solar panel receives, the more electricity it produces.
To use solar energy in your home, you need to have a grid-tied system with battery backup and inverter.
You can install large or small scale systems on your roof depending on what is available for installation at your house.
There are two types of photovoltaic (PV) systems – direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC).
DC systems charge batteries during periods when there is less sun but produce no AC power; AC PV systems produce both DC power that charges batteries and AC power which most homes run off of now because it’s easier to distribute than DC electrical flow.