Solar Power – How the Sun Powers the World

The sun is a powerful energy source that can be harnessed to produce electricity. One hour of sunlight provides more than enough energy to power the world for a year.

Solar energy is nonpolluting, renewable and sustainable. It reduces dependence on finite fossil fuels and helps mitigate the climate change threat.

Sunlight

The sun is a massive ball of nuclear energy that constantly radiates heat and light to the Earth. This radiant energy, called solar energy, is a renewable resource that can power our planet for billions of years.

Humans have used the sun’s rays (solar radiation) for thousands of years to dry food and warm their homes. Over time, people developed technologies to collect this energy for electricity.

Each solar cell contains a semiconductor material such as silicon that absorbs sunlight and creates an electrical current. Metal contacts at the top and bottom of each cell direct that current to an external device—which can be as small as a calculator or as large as a utility-scale power station.

Concentrating solar power systems use mirrors and tracking technology to focus sunlight on receivers that convert the heat into electricity or thermal energy for heating or cooling buildings. They can be used alone or in conjunction with solar photovoltaic (PV) and storage systems.

Photovoltaic (PV) Cells

Light strikes a solar cell and either is absorbed or reflects off the surface. When absorbed, the photon energy dislodges electrons from atoms in the semiconductor material, and when the cell is connected to an external circuit, electricity flows.

PV cells are made of thin layers of different types of semiconductor materials (a p-side and an n-side) joined together to form a p-n junction. An electric field is created across this junction that causes electrons to move to the positive p-side and holes to move to the negative n-side of the cell.

PV cells can be grouped together into larger modules that provide power for homes, businesses and public facilities such as schools and libraries. They can also be mounted on roofs and other surfaces or embedded in building structures as windows, shingles, and even cladding. Lightweight PV is also used to power portable devices and a wide range of specialized applications including water pumps, radio transmitters, and stream-flow gauges.

Inverters

Inverters transform Direct Current (DC) electricity gathered by solar panels into Alternating Current (AC) power that can run electrical appliances. They are also used to provide emergency backup when the main power is out.

In addition to converting solar energy into AC, an inverter can also monitor the system performance and even send information to your smart meter. If you have an excess of electricity, the inverter can seamlessly feed it into your home’s energy grid and earn a net metering credit on your utility bill.

Microinverters perform the same DC-to-AC conversion as a string inverter, but at the panel level. This allows for each panel to be independent, so small amounts of shading or debris on one solar module don’t disproportionately reduce the output of the whole array. This can make microinverters a better choice for partially shaded roofs. They also have the added benefit of requiring less wires and providing safety benefits such as arc fault detection.

Storage

Solar energy storage solutions allow you to bank the electricity generated by your solar panel system and use it later. This helps to make your business resilient and reduce your reliance on the National Grid.

This allows you to avoid paying higher electricity rates during peak demand hours, as well as providing backup power in the event of a power outage. This also helps to protect your business against rising utility electricity costs caused by energy-inflation.

There are several types of battery systems that can be used to store solar energy, but lithium batteries are the most popular option because they have a longer lifespan and better depth of discharge than other battery technologies.

Using solar power with storage is an efficient and cost-effective way to generate clean, sustainable electricity for your business. Our team of experts can help you select the ideal energy storage solution for your project. Get started by completing our online form or calling us now!

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