PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM: SOLAR PANEL
Authors: Mohd Saiful Najib Bin Ismail @ Marzuki, Ahmad Izzat Bin Mod Arifin, Abdul Hafiz Bin Kassim
Solar
Panels are a form of active solar power, a term that describes how solar panels make use of the sun's energy: solar
panels harvest sunlight and actively convert it to electricity. Solar Cells, or
photovoltaic cells, are arranged in a grid-like pattern on the surface of the
solar panel. These solar voltaic cells collect sunlight during the daylight
hours and convert it into electricity.
Solar
panels are typically constructed with crystalline silicon, which is used in
other industries (such as the microprocessor industry), and the more expensive
gallium arsenide, which is produced exclusively for use in photovoltaic (solar)
cells.
Other,
more efficient solar panels are assembled by depositing amorphous silicon alloy
in a continuous roll-to-roll process. The solar cells created from this process
are called Amorphous Silicon Solar Cells, or A-si. Solar Panels constructed
using amorphous silicon technology is more durable, efficient, and thinner than
their crystalline counterparts.
In
direct sunlight at the surface of the equator, a maximally efficient
photovoltaic cell about 1/5m in diameter creates a current of approximately 2
amps at 2 volts, however, due to the Earth's atmospheric interference, terran
solar panels will never perform as well as solar panels exposed directly to the
sun's rays.
Years
of overheating and physical wear can, however, reduce the operation efficiency
of the photovoltaic unit. Solar cells become less efficient over time, and
excess energy is released into its thermally conductive substrate as infrared
heat.
The
amount of power solar panels produce is influenced by the quality of the solar
panel, the materials and technology used in making the solar panel, and the
amount of time the solar panel has been in use. When purchasing solar panels,
it is therefore wise to look beyond size and look at the dollars/watt ratio.
Solar
energy originates in the depths of our sun. The sun endures a continuous stream
of thermonuclear explosions as hydrogen atoms are fused into helium atoms. The
resultant energy need to be encounter as radiation that strikes the surface of
the earth. Solar panels convert this solar radiation into useful electrical
energy and store them in batteries for our use. Enough solar radiation strikes
the earth every day to meet earth's energy needs for an entire year. Solar
panels help us harvest this energy and convert it into usable energy to meet
the everyday needs of modern life.
