Description of a photovoltaic effect and solar panels
1. Description of a photovoltaic effect and solar panels<br />Introduction-general description<br />Both a solar panel and solar cells are types of panels that create the effect of photovoltaic.<br />A Solar panel is a combination of materials assembled in a cubed box also called Solar cells or collectors, the combination of materials allows a chemical reaction to occur creating the separation of protons from the sun into neutrons and electrons, and this process allows a natural resource of DC (direct current) power for use and or storage.<br />Both solar panel and solar cells work the exact same way, with a combination of materials in panel, plate or a combination of panels and or plates in an array when combined together creates a energy supply of electricity through devices that convert the energy of sunlight directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect. <br />The term solar cell is used to capture radiation in the form of protons from sunlight such as solar panels and solar cells, but the term photovoltaic cell is used for an unspecified light source. The term Photovoltaic is used in the technology and research field which is the process of collecting solar radiation from the sun by means of solar panels and solar cells to related to the application of solar cells in producing electricity for practical use. “The energy generated this way is an example of solar energy (also known as solar power)”.[1]<br />Background and history<br />The History of photovoltaic effect and the generation of electricity from the sun was discovered in the year of 1839 by the French and recognized and used by the English since the middle 1800’s. The first solar cell was built in 1883, the conductor used was a thin layer of gold and the semiconductor used was selenium which was only 1% efficient. The Russians developed the first photoelectric solar cell in 1887 introducing the Photoelectric Effect. In 1905 Albert Einstein defined and explained Photoelectric Effect for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics.<br />Over the past 100 years the designs and Technologies have advanced and become a reliable source of clean and environmentally friendly Green Energy providing electricity to many small villages and towns that are unreachable by public utilities, which are about 75-80% generated by polluting fossil fuels.<br />Over the past 5 years form 2005-2010 the technologies have advanced increasing the green power suppliers have increased the amount of green power provided by local utilities providers.<br />“The term photovoltaic comes from the Greek φῶς (phōs) meaning light, and voltaic, meaning electric”.[2] [3] <br />Types of panels<br />Multiple-junction solar cells<br />Multiple junction solar cells are the most efficient cells on the market today capturing the most of the suns solar energy using multiple layers to capture more bans of energy than any other solar panel on the market. These Solar Cells are considered a sub-class of photovoltaic cells used for high efficiencies. [1] This type of cell is made up of multiple layers with each layer collecting a separate level of the solar spectrum from sun light, allowing for energy to be collected in direct sunlight or indirect sun light even on a cloudy day and produce it into electricity.[4]<br />Research laboratories and research institutes working towards perfecting this type of cell have proven to have collection efficiencies from 40.8% to 95% at certain tested wavelengths.[8] <br />Thin-film solar cells<br />These thin-film solar cells are created with the same concepts as the original Solar cells by combining cadmium telluride and/or crystalline (silicone). The same material is used but with more modern synthetic materials like Carbon Nano Technology and adding black dye to the crystalline allowing these types to collect more solar radiation than in the first Solar Cells made. [18]<br />Thin-film cells are the second most efficient cells on the market today utilizing a combination of organic and dyed silicone materials making them smaller and thinner than original solar panels making them cheaper to make and installation more versatile. <br />These thin-film solar cells are created with thin layers of film stretched on to a thin light weight frame allowing them to be mounted most anywhere with minimal structural load baring requirements.[1]<br /> <br />Crystalline Silicon<br />The crystalline silicone panel is the least efficient solar panel on the market and the original type of solar collector. These panels are much larger than the rest of panels on the market and are limited to where and how many can be arrayed together to collect enough solar energy making them more of a supplemental power source. <br />This type of Solar Cell is the most common and designed similar to the original Photovoltaic Solar Cells. This type of Solar cell requires a large amount of cells arrayed together in order to make them worth using for a main source of power. These types require much heavier and more expensive materials to produce, limiting the location and often requiring special and additional structural support driving up the cost.[1]<br />The different types of Crystalline Solar Cells have only been able to achieve efficiency ratings of 22% to only 29% requiring a large number of panels requiring a longer payback time around 1-2 years. [9], [10], [11],HYPERLINK quot;
../Local%20Settings/Temp/%20/%20cite_note-12quot;
[12]<br />Manufactures<br />Some current manufactures of solar systems are “SunPower which have a proven conversion ratio of 19.3%”, Sanyo is another company that manufactures solar cells which are the “market leader with a conversion ratio of 20.4%”, and there are many manufactures of Photovoltaic Solar Cells with a broad range of materials, sizes and prices. Some companies have modeled in labs proudicing efficiens of 41.6% these systems are still in production and have not been proven in real life situations.[13], [15]<br />Price<br />Solar panels have become cheaper to build making them cheaper to buy. Utilizing organic materials like carbon nano allows them to be much smaller and lighter than they were just a couple of years ago.<br />“Average pricing information divides in three pricing categories: those buying small quantities (modules of all sizes in the kilowatt range annually), mid-range buyers (typically up to 10 MWp annually), and large quantity buyers (self explanatory—and with access to the lowest prices).Over the long term—and only in the long-term—there is clearly a systematic reduction in the price of cells and modules. For example in 1998 it was estimated that the quantity cost per watt was about $4.50, which was 33 times lower than the cost in 1970 of $150”.[16][17]<br />Overall view and operating principle<br />Parts<br />The principle of a solar power supply is to collect energy from the sun and separate elements through a material reaction into a usable source and/or store and invert into a more usable source.<br />The parts of a completed Photovoltaic or Solar Cell system is the panels them self’s and with a charge controller the DC power can be used as a direct source of power or diverted into a bank of batteries for storage and inverted into a more usable supply for all house hold appliances and lighting. Additional components that may be required to help balance the power supply system would be a over current ground for dumping any power that cannot be stored due to the batteries being charged to full compactly, a surge proctor for anything that may cause a surge in the system like a lightning strike during a lighting storm, the system would also require a disconnect switch for servicing, maintenance or replacement of a failed part. [21] <br />References<br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cell<br />^ Alfred Smee (1849). Elements of Electro-Biology, or The Voltaic Mechanism of Man; of Electro-Pathology, Especially of the Nervous System.... London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. <br />http://books.google.com/books?id=CU0EAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA15. ^ quot;
Light sensitive devicequot;
U.S. Patent 2,402,662<br />^ http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/archive.cfm/pubDate={d%20'2006-12-06'}#10436<br />^ quot;
UD-led team sets solar cell record, joins DuPont on $100 million projectquot;
. http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2008/jul/solar072307.html.<br />^ quot;
World Record: 41.1% efficiency reached for multi-junction solar cells at Fraunhofer ISEquot;
. http://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/press-and-media/pdfs-zu-presseinfos-englisch/2009/press-release-world-record-41.1-efficiency-reached-for-multi-junction-solar-cells-at-fraunhofer-ise-pdf-file.<br />^ quot;
NREL Solar Cell Sets World Efficiency Record at 40.8 Percentquot;
. http://www.nrel.gov/news/press/2008/625.html.<br />^ quot;
String ribbon silicon solar cells with 17.8% efficiencyquot;
. http://www.ece.gatech.edu/research/UCEP/papers/3world/STRING%20RIBBON%20SILICON%20SOLAR%20CELLS%20WITH%2017.8%25%20EFFICIENCY.pdf.<br />^ quot;
Highest Silicon Solar Cell Efficiency Ever Reachedquot;
. 24 October 2008. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081023100536.htm. Retrieved 9 December 2009.<br />^ Green, Martin A (April 2002). quot;
Third generation photovoltaics: solar cells for 2020 and beyondquot;
. Physica E: Low-dimensional Systems and Nanostructures 14 (1-2): 65–70. doi:10.1016/S1386-9477(02)00361-2.<br />^ a b c quot;
What is the Energy Payback for PV?quot;
(PDF). http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy05osti/37322.pdf. Retrieved 2009-12-23.<br />^ Highest silicon solar cell efficiency ever reached<br />^ http://www.sunpowercorp.com/Products-and-Services/~/media/Downloads/for_products_services/spwr_315ewh_com_en.ashxt<br />^http://us.sanyo.com/dynamic/product/Downloads/solarPower_HIT_Double_195_Data_Sheet-13054720.pdf<br />^ http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=810<br />^ Harnessing Light. National Research Council. 1998. pp. 162. http://books.google.com/books?id=FJEuCAXw8B8C&lpg=PA162&dq=%22solar%20panel%20cost%20per%20watt%22&pg=PA162#v=onepage&q=&f=true.<br />^ Paula Mints (24 September 2009). quot;
Module Pricing: Rational, Or Just Plain Nuts?quot;
. Photovoltaics World Magazine. http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/09/module-pricing-rational-or-just-plain-nuts?cmpid=WNL-Friday-September25-2009.<br />http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20000695-54.html<br />http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/S/AE_solar_power_system.html<br />http://www.etsf.eu/book/export/html/30<br />http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/S/AE_solar_power_sy<br />
![Description of a photovoltaic effect and solar panels<br />Introduction-general description<br />Both a solar panel and solar cells are types of panels that create the effect of photovoltaic.<br />A Solar panel is a combination of materials assembled in a cubed box also called Solar cells or collectors, the combination of materials allows a chemical reaction to occur creating the separation of protons from the sun into neutrons and electrons, and this process allows a natural resource of DC (direct current) power for use and or storage.<br />Both solar panel and solar cells work the exact same way, with a combination of materials in panel, plate or a combination of panels and or plates in an array when combined together creates a energy supply of electricity through devices that convert the energy of sunlight directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect. <br />The term solar cell is used to capture radiation in the form of protons from sunlight such as solar panels and solar cells, but the term photovoltaic cell is used for an unspecified light source. The term Photovoltaic is used in the technology and research field which is the process of collecting solar radiation from the sun by means of solar panels and solar cells to related to the application of solar cells in producing electricity for practical use. “The energy generated this way is an example of solar energy (also known as solar power)”.[1]<br />Background and history<br />The History of photovoltaic effect and the generation of electricity from the sun was discovered in the year of 1839 by the French and recognized and used by the English since the middle 1800’s. The first solar cell was built in 1883, the conductor used was a thin layer of gold and the semiconductor used was selenium which was only 1% efficient. The Russians developed the first photoelectric solar cell in 1887 introducing the Photoelectric Effect. In 1905 Albert Einstein defined and explained Photoelectric Effect for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics.<br />Over the past 100 years the designs and Technologies have advanced and become a reliable source of clean and environmentally friendly Green Energy providing electricity to many small villages and towns that are unreachable by public utilities, which are about 75-80% generated by polluting fossil fuels.<br />Over the past 5 years form 2005-2010 the technologies have advanced increasing the green power suppliers have increased the amount of green power provided by local utilities providers.<br />“The term photovoltaic comes from the Greek φῶς (phōs) meaning light, and voltaic, meaning electric”.[2] [3] <br />Types of panels<br />Multiple-junction solar cells<br />Multiple junction solar cells are the most efficient cells on the market today capturing the most of the suns solar energy using multiple layers to capture more bans of energy than any other solar panel on the market. These Solar Cells are considered a sub-class of photovoltaic cells used for high efficiencies. [1] This type of cell is made up of multiple layers with each layer collecting a separate level of the solar spectrum from sun light, allowing for energy to be collected in direct sunlight or indirect sun light even on a cloudy day and produce it into electricity.[4]<br />Research laboratories and research institutes working towards perfecting this type of cell have proven to have collection efficiencies from 40.8% to 95% at certain tested wavelengths.[8] <br />Thin-film solar cells<br />These thin-film solar cells are created with the same concepts as the original Solar cells by combining cadmium telluride and/or crystalline (silicone). The same material is used but with more modern synthetic materials like Carbon Nano Technology and adding black dye to the crystalline allowing these types to collect more solar radiation than in the first Solar Cells made. [18]<br />Thin-film cells are the second most efficient cells on the market today utilizing a combination of organic and dyed silicone materials making them smaller and thinner than original solar panels making them cheaper to make and installation more versatile. <br />These thin-film solar cells are created with thin layers of film stretched on to a thin light weight frame allowing them to be mounted most anywhere with minimal structural load baring requirements.[1]<br /> <br />Crystalline Silicon<br />The crystalline silicone panel is the least efficient solar panel on the market and the original type of solar collector. These panels are much larger than the rest of panels on the market and are limited to where and how many can be arrayed together to collect enough solar energy making them more of a supplemental power source. <br />This type of Solar Cell is the most common and designed similar to the original Photovoltaic Solar Cells. This type of Solar cell requires a large amount of cells arrayed together in order to make them worth using for a main source of power. These types require much heavier and more expensive materials to produce, limiting the location and often requiring special and additional structural support driving up the cost.[1]<br />The different types of Crystalline Solar Cells have only been able to achieve efficiency ratings of 22% to only 29% requiring a large number of panels requiring a longer payback time around 1-2 years. [9], [10], [11],HYPERLINK quot;
../Local%20Settings/Temp/%20/%20cite_note-12quot;
[12]<br />Manufactures<br />Some current manufactures of solar systems are “SunPower which have a proven conversion ratio of 19.3%”, Sanyo is another company that manufactures solar cells which are the “market leader with a conversion ratio of 20.4%”, and there are many manufactures of Photovoltaic Solar Cells with a broad range of materials, sizes and prices. Some companies have modeled in labs proudicing efficiens of 41.6% these systems are still in production and have not been proven in real life situations.[13], [15]<br />Price<br />Solar panels have become cheaper to build making them cheaper to buy. Utilizing organic materials like carbon nano allows them to be much smaller and lighter than they were just a couple of years ago.<br />“Average pricing information divides in three pricing categories: those buying small quantities (modules of all sizes in the kilowatt range annually), mid-range buyers (typically up to 10 MWp annually), and large quantity buyers (self explanatory—and with access to the lowest prices).Over the long term—and only in the long-term—there is clearly a systematic reduction in the price of cells and modules. For example in 1998 it was estimated that the quantity cost per watt was about $4.50, which was 33 times lower than the cost in 1970 of $150”.[16][17]<br />Overall view and operating principle<br />Parts<br />The principle of a solar power supply is to collect energy from the sun and separate elements through a material reaction into a usable source and/or store and invert into a more usable source.<br />The parts of a completed Photovoltaic or Solar Cell system is the panels them self’s and with a charge controller the DC power can be used as a direct source of power or diverted into a bank of batteries for storage and inverted into a more usable supply for all house hold appliances and lighting. Additional components that may be required to help balance the power supply system would be a over current ground for dumping any power that cannot be stored due to the batteries being charged to full compactly, a surge proctor for anything that may cause a surge in the system like a lightning strike during a lighting storm, the system would also require a disconnect switch for servicing, maintenance or replacement of a failed part. [21] <br />References<br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cell<br />^ Alfred Smee (1849). Elements of Electro-Biology, or The Voltaic Mechanism of Man; of Electro-Pathology, Especially of the Nervous System.... London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. <br />http://books.google.com/books?id=CU0EAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA15. ^ quot;
Light sensitive devicequot;
U.S. Patent 2,402,662<br />^ http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/archive.cfm/pubDate={d%20'2006-12-06'}#10436<br />^ quot;
UD-led team sets solar cell record, joins DuPont on $100 million projectquot;
. http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2008/jul/solar072307.html.<br />^ quot;
World Record: 41.1% efficiency reached for multi-junction solar cells at Fraunhofer ISEquot;
. http://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/press-and-media/pdfs-zu-presseinfos-englisch/2009/press-release-world-record-41.1-efficiency-reached-for-multi-junction-solar-cells-at-fraunhofer-ise-pdf-file.<br />^ quot;
NREL Solar Cell Sets World Efficiency Record at 40.8 Percentquot;
. http://www.nrel.gov/news/press/2008/625.html.<br />^ quot;
String ribbon silicon solar cells with 17.8% efficiencyquot;
. http://www.ece.gatech.edu/research/UCEP/papers/3world/STRING%20RIBBON%20SILICON%20SOLAR%20CELLS%20WITH%2017.8%25%20EFFICIENCY.pdf.<br />^ quot;
Highest Silicon Solar Cell Efficiency Ever Reachedquot;
. 24 October 2008. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081023100536.htm. Retrieved 9 December 2009.<br />^ Green, Martin A (April 2002). quot;
Third generation photovoltaics: solar cells for 2020 and beyondquot;
. Physica E: Low-dimensional Systems and Nanostructures 14 (1-2): 65–70. doi:10.1016/S1386-9477(02)00361-2.<br />^ a b c quot;
What is the Energy Payback for PV?quot;
(PDF). http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy05osti/37322.pdf. Retrieved 2009-12-23.<br />^ Highest silicon solar cell efficiency ever reached<br />^ http://www.sunpowercorp.com/Products-and-Services/~/media/Downloads/for_products_services/spwr_315ewh_com_en.ashxt<br />^http://us.sanyo.com/dynamic/product/Downloads/solarPower_HIT_Double_195_Data_Sheet-13054720.pdf<br />^ http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=810<br />^ Harnessing Light. National Research Council. 1998. pp. 162. http://books.google.com/books?id=FJEuCAXw8B8C&lpg=PA162&dq=%22solar%20panel%20cost%20per%20watt%22&pg=PA162#v=onepage&q=&f=true.<br />^ Paula Mints (24 September 2009). quot;
Module Pricing: Rational, Or Just Plain Nuts?quot;
. Photovoltaics World Magazine. http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/09/module-pricing-rational-or-just-plain-nuts?cmpid=WNL-Friday-September25-2009.<br />http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20000695-54.html<br />http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/S/AE_solar_power_system.html<br />http://www.etsf.eu/book/export/html/30<br />http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/S/AE_solar_power_sy<br />](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/descriptionofaphotovoltaiceffectandsolarpanels-100416225848-phpapp01/85/Description-of-a-photovoltaic-effect-and-solar-panels-1-320.jpg)
