Been away from blogger for weeks ! Ahhh these studies ! Well okay back to the topic.
The hope for a "solar revolution" has been floating around for decades -- the idea that one day we'll all use free electricity from the sun. This is a seductive promise, because on a bright, sunny day, the sun's rays give off approximately 1,000 watts of energy per square meter of the planet's surface. If we could collect all of that energy, we could easily power our homes and offices for free.
I am pretty sure everyone had heard about a solar cell
A solar cell, also known as photovoltaic cell converts sunlight *directly* into electricy
(That's cool, directly)
Some of you might know how does it produces electricity using solar light.
You've probably seen calculators with solar cells -- devices that never need batteries and in some cases, don't even have an off button. As long as there's enough light, they seem to work forever. You may also have seen larger solar panels, perhaps on emergency road signs, call boxes, buoys and even in parking lots to power the lights.
Basically,
Current flows through the material to cancel the potential and this electricity is captured. An array of solar cells converts solar energy into a usable amount of direct current (DC) electricity.
Solar cells are even knows as photovoltaic cells !
Material ??
Photovoltaic cells are made of special materials called semiconductors such as silicon, which is currently used most commonly. Basically, when light strikes the cell, a certain portion of it is absorbed within the semiconductor material. This means that the energy of the absorbed light is transferred to the semiconductor. The energy knocks electrons loose, allowing them to flow freely.
Why silicon ?
Silicon is what is known as a semi-conductor, meaning that it shares some of the properties of metals and some of those of an electrical insulator, making it a key ingredient in solar cells. Let’s take a closer look at what happens when the sun shines onto a solar cell.
Sunlight is composed of miniscule particles called photons, which radiate from the sun. As these hit the silicon atoms of the solar cell, they transfer their energy to loose electrons, knocking them clean off the atoms. The photons could be compared to the white ball in a game of pool, which passes on its energy to the coloured balls it strikes.
Freeing up electrons is however only half the work of a solar cell: it then needs to herd these stray electrons into an electric current. This involves creating an electrical imbalance within the cell, which acts a bit like a slope down which the electrons will flow in the same direction.
Creating this imbalance is made possible by the internal organisation of silicon. Silicon atoms are arranged together in a tightly bound structure. By squeezing small quantities of other elements into this structure, two different types of silicon are created: n-type, which has spare electrons, and p-type, which is missing electrons, leaving ‘holes’ in their place.
Freeing up electrons is however only half the work of a solar cell: it then needs to herd these stray electrons into an electric current. This involves creating an electrical imbalance within the cell, which acts a bit like a slope down which the electrons will flow in the same direction.
Creating this imbalance is made possible by the internal organisation of silicon. Silicon atoms are arranged together in a tightly bound structure. By squeezing small quantities of other elements into this structure, two different types of silicon are created: n-type, which has spare electrons, and p-type, which is missing electrons, leaving ‘holes’ in their place.
Solar cell is not only a way to convert sunlight to electricity !!!
One more famous way is Solar Thermal Energy !
Okay, I won't give a whole explanation on it
But they basically convert solar heat or heat by the radiations of sun into electricity
The thermal heat is concentrated at one place by using huge reflectors or partial reflecting solar pannels !!
The heat is used to boil water and then make steam and this steam is used to rotate dynamos to generate electricity !
(Ahhha partial reflecting solar pannels where both solar energy and solar thermal energy works)
Isn't that AWESOME !
So
I hope in the future !!
We descover more efficient (solar cells have an efficiency of only 3-6%) and cheaper ways to convert solar energy and storing it in form of electricity !!!!
Some ideas
I am gonna make one of these !!
That's my dream
Well we all will be dependent on sunlight in the near future
That would be really great !
So join the Solar Revolution ! Now !!!!!
And ask others to join it too !
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