Technologies
of Solar Electric Systems
If you are looking for an alternative source of electricity,
you may want to check out solar electric
systems. People whose houses are located far from the
power grid can benefit from these kinds of set up. Solar power
generators harness solar energy to produce electricity so it
basically works independently from conventional powerhouses of
energy.
Current technologies that can do this include photovoltaic
cells or PV, concentrating solar power or CSP, and other
experimental technologies. Each of these technologies has
advantages and disadvantages that people must be aware of.
Photovoltaic Cells
Photovoltaic cells are popular components of solar electric
systems that are used in supplying power to small and
medium-sized applications. These include personal gadgets such
as a mobile phone and laptop and home appliances like a small
TV, a water pump and an electric fan.
The secret behind a photovoltaic cell is a light-related
phenomenon called photoelectric effect. The photoelectric
effect is the conversion of light into direct current or DC
electricity. A particular semiconductor such as silicon is
capable of the photoelectric effect. Because of this, variants
of silicon, such as amorphous silicon, are used to develop
solar panels and solar collectors.
Photovoltaic cells were initially used as back-up power to
satellites. But as prices of the cells became cheaper, it
eventually found its way into homes and small buildings.
Concentrating Solar Power
Concentrating solar power plants are used for large-scale
generation of electricity. Solar electric systems have become
popular because of its cheap cost and low maintenance.
The most popular CSP plant is SEGS or
Solar Energy Generating Systems that is located in the Mojave
Desert of California. Solar radiation energy was measured to be
the highest in the world at this particular place. Setting up a
solar electric system at this place will produce a high amount
of electricity than anywhere in the planet.
A CSP plant concentrates solar energy with the use of a
parabolic dish or trough. SEGS uses sunlight to produce 90 % of
its power supply capacity and the rest is produced using
natural gas.
Other Experimental Solar Technologies
Other experimental solar electric systems emerged over the
years. These technologies are the solar pond, solar updraft
tower, thermogenerator and space solar power.
A solar updraft tower uses heated air to power a turbine
that produces electricity. A solar pond produces electricity by
using a contrast of weak and high salt solution, which
harnesses and stores solar energy. A thermogenerator produces
electricity by exploiting the temperature difference between
two dissimilar materials.
Space solar power is a new breed of solar electric systems
since it places an array of solar cells in orbit around Earth
to collect solar energy and beam the energy as a microwave
radiation back to Earth. “Rectennas” or receiver antennas on
Earth receive the microwave radiation for power
distribution.
These developing solar electric systems are certainly new to
you but through time and with the advancement of technologies,
home solar systems may
actually be the next alternative source of energy for us.
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