Photovoltaic Panel
Solar power solutions have seen a series of improvements over their short history and there have been several major innovations in the photovoltaic panel itself.
This solar panel is at the heart of any solar power solution and is responsible for the actual conversion of sunlight to electricity.
Changes in the way this photovoltaic panel is built and does this conversion have helped to make them very popular as an alternative energy solution.
Click Here For The Green DIY Energy Guide!
The basis for the modern photovoltaic panel is the solar cell.
These solar cells are based on the photovoltaic principle, which occurs when certain materials are placed in sunlight and generate a small electrical current as a result.
This conversion of sunlight to electricity was discovered in 1839 and became commercially available over 100 years later around 1955 when these solar cells were able to be made out of silicon wafers.
The reason for the long delay in producing commercial solar applications based on the photovoltaic effect was that these early cells used expensive and dangerous chemicals to create the cells.
New formulations needed to be discovered that were safer and less expensive for commercial use. This finally happened with the creation of solar cells based on a silicon formula and even though they worked, these early solar cells were fragile and only had an efficiency of about 2%.
This limited their application to small devices that didn’t require much power. Over the years this technology improved through better materials and manufacturing to produce a photovoltaic panel that can deliver over 16% efficiency today.
These modern solar panels rely on the solar cells housed within them to do the actual conversion of sunlight to current. There are several different types of solar cells that each present distinct advantages and disadvantages.
The most powerful and efficient type of solar cell is called a monocrystalline cell and is grown from a single contiguous silicon crystal. This type of cell requires a very controlled environment to create and will provide the best conversion possible.
These solar cells are used in most modern solar panels as a result and do a great job of providing the highest levels of current. Because these solar cells are difficult to produce they are the most expensive of the choices. Even though they cost more than other types of solar cells, they produce much more power from the same amount of sunlight as other cells and will make up for their slightly higher price over the life of the photovoltaic panel.
The other type of solar cell that is commonly used is called a polycrystalline cell and this is created out of a group of smaller cells. These smaller cells are joined together and act as a single larger cell. This type of solar cell produces a little less energy from a given amount of sunlight as the monocrystalline cells, but can still work fine for most homes. These solar cells are less expensive and can help you lower the cost of your solar power system if you choose a photovoltaic panel that uses this style of solar cell.
The truth is that whichever photovoltaic panel you use, it will still provide all of the power your home requires if you size your system correctly. Both of these styles of modern solar panels provide more than double the amount of power as older models and cost less as well.
If you would like to learn how to make a photovoltaic panel check out Green DIY Energy.