The solar panel market is a growing and ever expanding market concept. The idea of getting off of addicting fossil fuels and going green and making energy efficient choices is starting to drive the world of tomorrow. Energy efficient machines, ever lessening gas mileage on cars, lower emission requirements, and more recycling than ever before are signs that the world is trying to change the way it thinks about energy consumption and conservation.
Two technologies that are currently used to harvest solar energy are the solar photovoltaic and solar thermal methods. Basically, solar photovoltaic technology (PV) involves the conversion of solar rays into electricity, which can then be fed into a grid or used separately to power lighting, heating and air conditioning systems as well as all the home appliances. Solar thermal technology, on the other hand, harnesses sunlight directly to produce solar power, which enables appliances such as solar cookers and water heaters to function without conventional electricity.
What is a Photovoltaic Technology?
The best solar panels technology uses arrays of solar cells to receive sunlight and convert the same into electricity. A solar cell is basically a fine silicon wafer. PV solar panels comes in poly crystalline , mono crystalline, amorphous material and thinfilm varieties. Currently, crystalline silicon panels are the most commonly used PV systems. However, silicon is expensive and in short supply.
Production Cost
High production costs make silicon panels too expensive for the average consumer in India. Companies are researching alternatives such as thin film systems as well as other non – silicon options to bring down the cost of production and make PV solar panels widely accessible. Photovoltaic systems are developed using specific combinations of solar cells. Basically, PV systems are available in two designs, which are flat – plate and concentrator panels. As of now, most of PV solar panels sold in the World are constituted of crystalline silicon cells.
Solar shingles also use PV technology. These power generators are designed to look like regular roof shingles and the advantage is that they are quite often capable of providing power even when the roof is partially shaded.
How PV Cell Works?
PV
PV solar panel do not require direct sunlight, they can also function properly in daylight. This photovoltaic technology product electricity even in cloudy weather. A PV cell is made up of one or more layers of semi – conducting material, which is normally silicon. When the PV cells receive sunlight, electric field develops around the layers which helps in the flow of electricity. The intensity or strength of PV cells is measured in terms of the energy they generate in maximum sunlight and is referred to as kilowatt peak or KWP.
PV systems connected to the grid require hardly any maintenance apart from ensuring that they are kept clean and are not in the shade from surrounding trees.
What are the Uses of Photovoltaic Cells?
Photovoltaic technology can be used to power consumer appliances as well as large electrical systems in the commercial sector. PV Solar panels water pump used for irrigation and drinking water distribution. You can benefit from solar panels installed on your roof or wall so long as your house is not in the shadow of other buildings or large trees. Shade reduces the output of solar modules. Also, these panels can be heavy and the surface on which they are installed must be strong enough to support them.
This technology is more or less environmentally benign. Though the manufacturing process of PV panels is polluting to a certain extent, these panels are eco – friendly to use. Solar photovoltaic power does not emit greenhouse gases.
Thin – film technologies are being adopted by a few solar panel manufacturers because they use no polysilicon. The cost of thin films is less compared to silicon cells as the technology used to made is wafer thin layers of photosensitive material and the manufacturing process consumes less energy. Thin films can be embedded in roof shingles, windows and sidings. Over the past two years or so, thin film production has increased almost four times, accounting for over 10% global market share.
The Global PV cell installation surpass to 150 GW in 2021 in the world. Globally, Jinko panels are reported to be the most efficient solar PV panels on the market. The other major global producers are SolarEdge, SMA Solar, Risen Solar, LONGi Solar and Q – Cells. With rising oil prices and growing awareness of the need to adopt environment friendly energy sources, the market for photovoltaic technology is poised for healthy growth.
Pro’s and Con’s of Alternative Energy
The advantages of using solar energy would include: a significant price reduction in your power bills, it is quite easy to install as well as maintain, it produces little to no carbon emission and is very environmentally friendly and the extra energy that you have left over can be fed back into the electrical grid which would earn you credits. The use of solar energy as an alternative resource for energy is very popular nowadays.
This is not surprising since it is the easiest to use when compared to the other resources but there are certain disadvantages to using it too. Here are a few: in order to produce enough energy that would power an entire home, you would need quite a number of panels and the thing is that these panels aren’t exactly the most affordable thing out there, not to mention the fact that they can take up a lot of space.
Nonetheless, solar energy still proves to be the best option for most people despite of its obvious disadvantages. Besides, you can always start small and have enough panels that would lower the amount you have to pay for each and every month. Remember, every little bit counts. So there you have it, just some of the things that you need to know about solar power when it comes to its alternative energy advantages and disadvantages.
Author Bio:
Sophia Wilson is a content creator and senior marketer at Isolux Solar. She enjoys researching various topic and writing to spread knowledge to the reader.
