Solar power panels are metal panels lined with photovoltaic cells. ‘Photo’ as is in photosynthesis or photograph. Photovoltaic, photosynthesis, and photograph are all technologies that can retain sunlight for distinct purposes. The word ‘photo’ stands for the sunlight and ‘voltaic’ for the electricity stored in each cell. Solar power panels hold sun powered batteries that are equipped to convert sunlight to usable direct current. This current can be stored for use when there’s no sunlight and no continuous source of electricity. That’s the basic concept of a photovoltaic cell. If you want to get solar power panels set up in your household, there is now an alternative solution to having to spend thousands of dollars in setup costs (even though it would still be worth it!).
CLICK HERE TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN SOLAR POWER PANELS FOR LESS THAN $200!
So, before delving into the workings of a solar panel or the types thereof, it is worthwhile to know a bit of photovoltaic history. The ‘photovoltaic effect’ or the interconversion of electrical and thermal energy, was discovered way back in 1839 by Frenchman A.E Bequerel. The first solar cells were made almost fifty years later, in 1883 by an American inventor by the name of Charles Fritts. The breakthrough in the 20th century came when, in 1954, technicians working at the Bell Laboratories accidentally came to know that silicon, when doped with certain impurities, becomes very sensitive to light. The first spacecraft-use of solar power panels was in March 1958 along the US satellite Vanguard 1. The Vanguard solar panels were made by Hoffman Electronics. Apart from industrial use, solar power cells can easily supply electricity for household purposes like cooking and lighting up the terrace bulb.
Modern day solar power cells are made with crystalline silicon, amorphous silicon (or A-Si) and with an exclusive compound called Gallium Arsenide. This compound is industrially manufactured for the sole purpose of being used in a photovoltaic cell, and the solar power cells that exclusively use the Arsenide to produce electricity operate by a process known as molecular beam epitaxy.
The solar power cells using amorphous silicon have been designed to be more efficient, durable and effective than their crystalline silicon counterparts. The solar power panels with their grids of photovoltaic cells are arranged so as to get maximum exposure to sunlight. The sun-energy collected converts itself to household electricity through the photo voltaic cells.
Solar power panels are now the most anticipated change in acceptance across the globe. The impending danger of the exhaustion of the much used fossil fuel reserves everywhere on our earth, and the quest for a cleaner environment, are the prime reasons guiding this transition. Also, the simple idea that solar panels can help make large savings in terms of your electricity bill, is helping solar power cells gain overwhelming support.
The proper harnessing of solar energy is presumably going to be the uppermost agenda in the upcoming International Climate conference at Copenhagen. This highest level of summit is being attended by 192 nations across the world. The solar power sector is witnessing international participation at an unprecedented rate. From President Obama to the villagers of India and Africa; from China to Australia, everyone is getting connected by the solar power cells!
CLICK HERE TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN SOLAR POWER PANELS FOR LESS THAN $200!
Comments on this entry are closed.