SOLAR ENERGY

Terri Battles

Solar energy is the conversion of sunlight into electricity directly using photovoltaic. Solar panel electricity systems, also known as solar photovoltaic (PV), capture the sun's energy using photovoltaic cells. These cells don't need direct sunlight to work, they can still generate some electricity on a cloudy day but not at night. Solar energy can be found anywhere since it comes from the sun. In order to use this energy from the sun you will need solar cells also known as photovoltaic cells.

What is Solar Energy?

A photovoltaic cell, commonly called a solar cell or PV, is the technology used to convert solar energy directly into electrical power. Photovoltaic solar energy is produced when the sun's energy, in the form of photons, strikes a photovoltaic cell and is transmitted to electrons within the semiconductor material in the PV cell, causing an electrical current First, and most obviously, are two layers of silicon. These make up the bulk of the cell, and, as we'll see, the plane where they meet is where much of the key action takes place. The cell also has metal strips that conduct the flow of electrons. Electrons also flow back out of the house and return to the cell through the cell's metal backing, in order to make a closed loop. Finally, the cell bears an antireflective coating, which ensures that photonsthe particles of sunlight needed to generate solar power are absorbed by the silicon layers and not reflected away.

Silicon is a strong and stable building material for PV cells, but on its own it makes for a poor conductor. So manufacturers "dope" the cell's two silicon layers with trace amounts of additives, typically phosphorus and boron. The top, phosphorus-doped layer contains more electrons, or negatively charged particles, than pure silicon does, while the bottom, boron-doped layer contains fewer electrons.

To generate electricity, first need to establish an electric field. The positive and negative charges in an electric field attract. This "opposites attract" electric field is created in the cell when its two different silicon layers are first brought together in the factory.

The "extra" electrons in the phosphorus-doped top layer naturally move into the boron-doped bottom layer a process that occurs in a fraction of a second and only very close to the junction (the point at which the two layers meet). Once the bottom layer has gained extra electrons, it becomes negatively charged at the junction; at the same time, the top layer has gained a positive charge there. Now the cell is ready for the sun.

As sunlight hits the cell, its photons begin "knocking loose" electrons in both silicon layers. These newly freed electrons dart around each layer but are useless until they reach the electric field at the junction. This relative inefficiency compared to that of fossil fuels is part of the reason why solar cells still only account for less than 0.1 percent of the energy used in the U.S. The electric field pushes electrons that do reach the junction towards the top silicon layer. This force essentially slingshots the electrons out of the cell to the metal conductor strips, generating electricity.

Electrons flow as electricity from the metal conductor strips into a wire and to an inverter inside a house. This device converts the direct current coming from the cell into the alternating current appliances can use. Electrons also flow out of the house and back to the solar panel, creating the closed loop necessary to maintain the flow of electricity. The cell keeps generating electricity, even on cloudy days, until the sun goes down at night.

Solar Cells are just one way to harness the suns energy and use it as electricity. The other ways are solar water heating and solar furnaces.
Solar water heating is used to heat water in glass panels located on a roof. This conserves gas and electricity to heat water in a home. Water is pumped through pipes in the panel. To maximize the heat transfer from the sun, the pipes are painted black. This helps the central heating system and cuts the cost of energy bills.

The main differences between these is that a solar water heater is used to heat the water in a home while the solar furnace is used to heat a home. A solar cell is used for electricity in a home.
Solar furnaces use a large array of mirrors to concentrate the sun's energy into a small space to produce very high temperatures.

 Solar photovoltaic panels may contain hazardous materials that could be released when a panel is damaged or disposed of improperly Depending on their area, larger solar facilities can raise concerns about land degradation and habitat loss. Solar PV cells do not use water for generating electricity but in manufacturing processes, some water is used to make solar PV components.

 Decrease in the use of foreign imported oil as an energy source solar energy is now responsible for over 100,000 American jobs, in over 5,000 businesses in every state.

In 2010, the US imported 19.1 million barrels of foreign oil a day. This is estimated to cost more than $200,000 a minute which is over $25 billion a year that is being spent on foreign oil imports. This is money leaving our country, and contributing to our national trade deficit. Renewable, sustainable solar power can help keep that money in the United States. By reducing your homes use of traditional energy sources, you help keep natural ecosystems intact, reducing tax payer funded cleanups and potentially oil spills like the recent BP spill.

Overall affects the economy in a positive way.

 Each photovoltaic cell generates only a small amount of energy, so many cells are grouped together into a module then several modules are combined to form a solar panel. Photovoltaic energy systems cost an average of $12,000 to $18,000 per kilowatt, according to data from Solar Services Inc. The price goes down per kilowatt installed.

Solar energy cost more than gas, oil, and coal put together per kWh.

Countries Using Solar Power

Countries using solar power include South Korea, Italy, Japan, The United States, Spain and Germany. Germany uses the most solar power while the United states only uses 6%.

Solar powered farm Solar powered home

Solar powered boat

Solar powered lights