The Basics Of Solar Power
J.R. Ferrara
Solar power harnesses the sun’s heat and light emissions. It is
the power we get from converting the sun’s energy. The energy of
the sun is abundant, clean, and environmentally friendly. Every
day, we receive more energy from the sun than the entire world
could use in 27 years! Solar power is highly renewable, as the
energy from the sun is estimated to last another 4.5 billion
years.
The basic difference between generation of solar power and the
conventional power is:
• Solar power doesn’t need large, polluting power stations
• Solar power can be generated at home and in industries
• Once installed, there is no further need of any raw materials
to generate solar power
Converting the Sun’s Energy
There are many different ways of converting the sun’s energy,
in the form of light, into electricity. Photovoltaic cells,
more commonly known as solar cells, are made of
semi-conductors. These energy converters convert the energy in
sunlight into electricity. Sunlight, which is a stream of
energy particles—photons--falls on the semi-conductors or the
conductors and transfers its energy to them. The photons
transfer their energy as they hit the silicon atoms in the
solar cells, thereby releasing the electrons from their orbit
around the nucleus, generating electricity.
To help concentrate the sunlight on a small area of
photovoltaic cells, Fresnel lenses, mirrors, and mirrored
dishes are used as concentrators. A Fresnel lens consists of
concentric rings of segmental lenses with a short focal length.
Multiple solar cells are combined to make a solar panel. For
protection of these solar cells, glass, with an anti-reflective
coating, is used as a cover. Solar panels usually produce 12 or
24 volts of DC power.
Boiling Fluids – Mirrors or reflective surfaces are used to
concentrate the sun's energy onto a fluid reservoir. This leads
to steam generation by boiling the fluid, which in turn spins a
turbine to generate electricity. Using a turbine to generate
electricity is similar to the conventional way of power
generation, except that solar energy is used in place of
non-renewable fossil fuels. Either DC or AC electric power can
be generated using turbines.
Heat Engine – The heat engine, the most common one being a
Stirling engine, has a gas- enclosed compartment. Through
mirrors or reflective surfaces, the sunlight is concentrated on
the engine, which heats the gas. This causes a piston to move,
which runs the generator. The gas gets cooled and returns to go
through the heating cycle again. These heat engines are silent.
Depending on the generator, they can produce either DC or AC
current.
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