WHAT IS PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER?
Photovoltaic, or PV, power is the creation of electricity through the conversion of photons from sunlight.
WHEN WAS PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER DISCOVERED?
Photovoltaic power also referred to as the photovoltaic effect was first discovered in 1839 by Alexandre-Edmund Becquerel, a French physicist. The first solar cell was built by Charles Fritt in 1883.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER AND SOLAR THERMAL CONVERSION?
Solar thermal conversion captures energy in the form of heat from the sun whereas photovoltaic power converts photons from the sun into electricity.
HOW RELIABLE IS PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER?
Solar modules have no moving parts and work in the presence of light. Silicon based solar modules typically come with warranties of 25 years but have been known to last for over 40 or more years.
WHAT IS A PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM?
A photovoltaic system is an electrically connected group of solar modules which create electricity. Photovoltaic system components include solar modules, inverters, batteries, and controllers which work in combination to deliver electricity to the load. Photovoltaic systems can be used for “on-grid” applications in which generated electricity is fed back into the electric utility grid. Photovoltaic power is also generated for “off-grid” applications where access to the electric utility grid is not possible or economical.
ARE THERE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SOLAR TECHNOLOGY?
Today the majority of solar technology (~90%) utilizes polysilicon as the semiconducting raw material which drives the conversion of sunlight into electricity. Second generation thin film technologies are now being utilized incorporating amorphous silicon (a-Si), Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) and Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide (CIGS) technologies and are currently being developed and sold into the commercial market. The third generation of solar technology involves the use of organic materials which have had very little commercial market penetration to date.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MULTI-CRYSTALLINE AND MONO-CRYSTALLINE SOLAR CELLS?
Crystalline silicon cells are either classified as mono or multi-crystalline. The difference is that mono-crystalline silicon is formed through an ingot growth process in which a single crystal is pulled from a silicon melt. Alternatively, solar cells are formed using a multi-crystalline process in which silicon is poured into a crucible and slowly cooled through a process known as block casting. Mono-crystalline solar cells tend to give higher efficiency yields compared to multi-crystalline cells.
WHAT IS THIN FILM TECHNOLOGY?
Thin film solar technology is a second generation solar technology in which as little as one hundredth of the amount of raw materials are utilized compared to a traditional crystalline based solar cell. Among the current thin technologies include, amorphous silicon which utilizes a silane gas, as well as Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) and Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide (CIGS). All of these technologies have penetrated the solar market. To date thin film technologies have not produced efficiencies on par with traditional crystalline silicon based solar cells and tend to have shorter product lifetimes.
WHAT IS A SOLAR CELL?
A solar cell is any material which converts a photon into electricity through electron separation.
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