PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM: SOLAR PANEL

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.