What is Solar Panel?

What is Solar Panel (photovoltaic panel)?

Today, world is facing immense big problem regarding Energy Crisis. All we know about Current Energy sources not gonna last long and so need for alternate energy source and all that blah .. blah .. blah…!

Solar Energy could be one of major solutions to our Energy problem but how to capture that energy is main problem and that is the thing which is holding us back from using most precious Energy Source Ever, Sun!!!

So, People today have found out some ways of using solar energy for various tasks like water heating, cooling their homes etc. But we all know that most clean and useful form of energy is Electricity. With Electricity available, we can perform all the works like Heating water, Cooling houses and offices, Running Pumps, Running Industries and everything. So, researchers are making their efforts in finding something that can convert Solar Energy to Electricity. Today, we have a solution on the problem. The device is Photovoltaic Panel or PV Panel or Solar Panel.

In short, Solar Panel is the Device that converts Solar Energy and Converts it to D.C. (Direct Current) electricity.

Some Important Features of PV Panels:

1. Most Important, They make no pollution while conversion of energy, so can be called as clean energy source.
2. Solar Panels works on Sun which is forever source of energy.
3. They are Easy to Install and Simple in operation.
4. They have really low maintenance cost.
5. Solar Panel can work for long time.
6. They make no sound while working.

Construction and Working of Solar Panels:

Solar Panels is Modular structure. When we say Solar Panel, we imagine huge long shiny boards, true! So, that is called as array. This array is formed from number of Panels.

Each Panel is not elemental. It consist of much smaller Modules. And each module is then made up of number of solar cells.

So, most basic and most important part of Panel is pretty small cell. This cell is a lot like P-N junction diode in which electrons crosses the junction then travels thrugh the holes. Here, electrons take solar energy to cross the junction and so we get voltage as output. This cell is made up of silicon or germanium which are semiconductor materials.

In general, at equatorial region (where Solar Energy is maximum) the solar Pannel of size 1/5 meter can produce about 2 Ampere of Current at 2 Volt potential difference.

The performance of Solar Panels is decreased by one major factor, Heating of Panels. As the temperature of Panels grows the efficiency of Panels is decreased dramatically.

Most Important Use of Solar Panels Today:

So, can you guess where these Panels are used and function is extremely important? I bet, Satellites! Satellites need huge amounts of electricity for its various functionalities and they depend on solar panel for the same.

Limitations:

• Very high installation and Production cost.
• Solar panels need large area for energy collection so as compared to fossil fuels they are space consuming.
• Solar energy is not same in all the parts of the world.
• It is not continuous, for ex. it does not works at night so storing mechanism is necessary for working in offtime.