Solar Power The Way Forward

Solar power is generated by collecting the Sun’s energy and converting into electricity. Flat panels made up of solar cells are set up so that they can collect the maximum sunlight and generate electrical energy. This has been possible only in remote and rural settings so far but fast gaining popularity in the urban areas as well.

Technology

Solar cells are made up of semiconducting materials such as silicon. When sunlight hits the solar cells, the silicon absorbs the energy because of which electrons get displaced from their atoms and flow to produce the electricity.

Solar cells are arranged in panels, which is an array of solar cells tightly packed with the needed wiring, inverter and batteries. Solar panels can be damaged by rain, water, snow and other weather conditions. This is the reason why it is usually covered with plexiglass or other protective films.

Applications

Solar power is a clean source of energy and its applications are endless. Photovoltaic technology, mentioned above is used to derive electricity from the sun’s energy. Solar power generated can be used to power equipments or recharge batteries. Smaller applications including powering smaller gadgets such as calculators and bigger projects include powering satellites and other spacecrafts.

Solar power can also be used to provide electric lighting to buildings, significantly reducing the load on traditional powering systems. The same system can also be used to provide hot water in homes and other industrial applications. In these applications, the water tanks are designed so that the solar energy absorbed heats up liquid solutions running in pipelines traversing the tanks.

Advantages of Solar Power

There are a few benefits of using solar power compared to other sources of electricity. These include:

• No fuel costs or supply problems. The solar power generators are usually set up in areas or in away to capture maximum sunlight
• Solar cells do not require as much maintenance if protected well
• Solar cells can operate without much supervision
• Solar cells are great for the environment as it does not result in any toxic emissions nor does it use valuable sources

Solar Power New research and development

The more concentrated the source of light, the more efficiently the solar cells are able to generate electricity. For these reason, mirrors or lenses are designed to focus energy on these cells. New research is being done to increase the power output of these solar cells. A new device or sticker has been invented that when applied to the panel increases the power output significantly. Scientists are also working to produce thin-film solar cells that can also raise the efficiency by 30%.

There is also a need to produce solar power at a lower cost so that its use becomes affordable for more applications. The cost of generating solar power should be comparable to power generated from coal and other conventional sources. Solar power is becoming a common household word. People are now looking to generate clean energy to meet all their basic electricity needs.