Solar energy is undoubtedly the largest and most abundant source of energy that our planet has. The only problem has been in our ability to harness this energy since it is not a concentrated source of energy. But since the earth is constantly being bathed in it, it has long been an endeavor in trying to tap into this source of essentially free energy. With the advent of Solar Cell Technology, and the cost effective developments that have occurred over the last 30 or so years it is know possible for homeowners to tap into this vast energy resource saving themselves money and reducing their Carbon Footprint on the planet.
If enough people get on the Green Technology bandwagon we may just avoid the catastrophe of Global Warming whose signs are rearing there ugly head throughout the globe more and more every year.
Solar Cell Technology
With the advent of Solar Cell Technology it became possible to tap into the enormous amounts of radiant energy that the Sun emits to generate electricity. Though early Solar Cells which were Selenium based were not very efficient they were a precursor to the possibility that this technology offered. When Silicon based Solar Cells were introduced, the viability of converting Solar Radiant Energy (Light) in electricity now became a useful product though an expensive one for generating electricity from light. In the early days of Silicon Cell Technology the efficiency of Solar Cells was about 10 percent. With the advent of Amorphous and Polymorphic Solar Cells efficiencies are now close to 41%. NASA has developed Solar Cells who's efficiency is much higher due to the fact that each layer of the Solar Cell is tuned to a particular frequency of the Light Spectrum, but as you can imagine these Solar Cells are extremely expensive and beyond the reach of the consumer.
How Solar Cells Work
First lets define what a Solar Cell is. Solar Cells are electronic devices that will convert Sunlight Directly into electricity without any mechanical means. This is possible because Solar Cells take advantage of the Particle Nature Of Light. (Light has two properties Wave & Particle). The particle nature of light is the Photon – I'm certain that you've all seen the original Star Trek Series of the late 1960's in which Captain Kirk would give the command to “Fire Photo Torpedoes” well though our technology can not harness Photons in this manner we can use the properties of Photons to generate enough current to power various electronic & electrical devices.
With out getting into the technical nature of a Solar Cell (You can find more information at the end of this article), I'll explain simply how a Solar Cell converts Photons into Electricity.
As Pure Silicon is a poor conductor of electricity impurities are added (referred to as doping) to it allow for the free movement of electrons which is the bases for current flow. When these impurities are added to the Silicon extra electrons are added to the material that are easily knocked loose by Photons.
Now as we all may know for there to be current flow, we need an anode and cathode. This is accomplished in a Solar Cell by doping part of the Solar Cell with N(negative)-Type material such as Phosphorus and P(positive)-Type material such as Boron.
When these two materials make contact we now have a circuit that will generate electricity when a Photon strikes the material. This of course is a very simple explanation but it does illustrate the working of a Solar Cell. Now by stacking many Solar Cells in parallel and series you can then produce panels that will generate the voltage and current that you require for your application.
A collection of Solar Cells or Photovoltaic Array/Panel can produce enough power (voltage x current or P=VI) to supply the electricity needs of a home with the technology that is available today. Though Solar Panels at one time were very expensive and cost prohibitive for homeowners; over the years commercial units have come down in price quite a bit making them a logical investment that pays for itself in a few years.
Better yet for those individual that like to things themselves they can build their own Solar Panels and save a bundle and see a faster return on their Green Energy Investment. For instance a Do-It-Yourself individual can build a Solar Array for about $200 which saves you a few thousand over commercially available Solar Arrays.
Also to help homeowners move over to Green Technologies such as Solar & Wind the Federal and Local Governments of Tax Credits and Subsidies that can further save you money. This means that an investment in Green Technology will not only save you money, but it will also help the environment by reducing your dependence of Polluting Fossil Fuels and at the same time increase the value of your home.
Solar Energy is the most abundant renewable energy source we have today and it is responsible for other renewable energy sources like Wind and Water. Solar Energy is non-polluting, it will be available to us as long as the Sun continues to shine. Which can not be said of polluting carbon based Fossil Fuels like Coal, Oil and Gas, since these are derived from organic deposits laid millions of years ago.
Solar Energy saves you money, a little today and much more in the years to come. If 2008 was any indication of what we can expect to see with fuel prices in the future a renewable energy source like Solar Energy will have Cost Advantages Over Fossil Fuels! If your seriously looking to go Green, Save Money and Help the Environment Solar is the way to go.
