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Solar Energy
Solar energy is the energy that is coming from the sun. It can be collected by human through photovoltaics and heat engines. Solar Power, along with wind, hydroelectric, wave, biomass account for most of the renewable energy source available to use.
Photovoltaics. (8.4.1.2)
Photovoltaics is the direct conversion of light into electricity at the atomic level. A photovoltaic cell(PV) is a device that converts sun light into direct current through photoelectric effect. Individual PV cells are electricity-producing devices that are made of semiconductor materials.
The photoelectric effect is first noted by French physicist Edmund Bequerel in 1839. The first PV cell was constructed by Charles Fritts in 1880. The first major usage of PV cell is on the Vanguard I satellite in 1958. The increase in oil price, and the increase in production brought the price of photovoltaic cell down.
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PV cells come in different shapes and sizes. It can be the size of a stape, or several inches. Depending on the level of need, the PV cells can be put together to form a field or a single module for residential usage. The photoelectric effect causes some materials to absorb light photons and convert them into electrons. In general, photovoltaic modules and arrays produce DC electricity. The most commonly used photovoltaic device is in a single junction or interface. A multijunction device is a stack of single junction cells together serving as the collector. Research are being done on Gallium Arsenide, Amorphous Silicon, and Copper Indium Diselenide.
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Each method of concentrating solar power convert different amount of energy. In a solar trough, the working fluid is heated up to 150-350 C, then it is used as the hearing source to a power generation unit. In the parabolic system, the working fluid is heated up to 250-700 C. The heat is then used by a stirling engine to generate electricity. In the solar power tower unit, the working fluid is heated up to 500-1000 C. Then it is used for power generation or energy storage. Ultimately, a solar power tower offer more energy efficiency and can store more energy than a solar trough system.
Photovoltaics (8.4.14)
Example of a Photovoltaic module, Another example would be the building 678 PV Rooftop System at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, CA. Where they installed a PV system generating 30.54 MW of power in 2000, with 198 panels each producing 116 watts.