Monday, June 27, 2011


1KW Solar Pannel
Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaic (PV), or indirectly using concentrated solar power (CSP) or to split water and create hydrogen fuel using techniques of artificial photosynthesis. Concentrated solar power systems use lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam. Photovoltaic convert light into electric current using the photoelectric effect.[1]

Commercial concentrated solar power plants were first developed in the 1980s, and the 354 MW SEGS CSP installation is the largest solar power plant in the world and is located in the Mojave Desert of California. Other large CSP plants include the Solnova Solar Power Station (150 MW) and the Andasol solar power station (100 MW), both in Spain. The 97 MW Sarnia Photovoltaic Power Plant in Canada, is the world’s largest photovoltaic plant.


How Do Solar Panels Work?


Silicon is mounted beneath non-reflective glass to produce photovoltaic panels. These panels collect photons from the sun, converting them into DC electrical power. The power created then flows into an inverter. The inverter transforms the power into basic voltage and AC electrical power.
To start off, it is crucial that silicon be better explained. Silicon has four electrons in its outer shell. However, it has the capacity rto hold eight. By sharing these four electrons with other silicon atoms and their four shell electrons, the capacity of eight is filled. When they combine with each other in this way, silicon atoms develop a strong, stable bond. This structure is known as pure, crystalline silicon.
Of course, this pure silicon is a poor conductor of electricity, as there are no electrons free to move about. In other words, the silicon is better off with impurities. To create these impurities, silicon is combined with something else.
When silicon combines with an element that has five electrons to share, such as phosphorus, a negative charge is created. Silicon can only take four of the five electrons. This leaves one free electron looking for a spot. These additional electrons are known as free carriers; they carry an electrical current.
On the other hand, when silicon is combined with an element that has three electrons a positive charge is created. Boron is a material which suits this purpose. When silicon and boron are combined, holes are created.
These silicon combinations and their differing charges are used to make solar panels. As photons come down from the sunlight and strike the silicon, it shakes everything up. The free electron that was hanging onto the silicon/phosphorous combination is now forced to the outer ring. From here, it gets sucked up to the outer ring of the silicon/boron combination. This is how electricity is created.

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