When the are briefly explained one begins to see that solar cells are not that complex, in fact there operation is a quite simple process.  The visible sun light shines onto silicon plates which convert the light into separate parts, positive and negative.  Knowing this we can look at solar cells as nothing more that batteries that require sunlight to produce electricity.  The only difference between solar cells and batteries such as AA-cells is the inter working reaction that produces the usable electricity.

To further understand, we must first answer “What is Electricity”??  Real simply, it is the ability for electricity (current) to flow between positive and negative (just as a river would flow from a higher elevation to lower one).  Just as a flowing river has a current that could carry an object down stream or turn a wheel partially submersed, the current in terms of electricity can power objects such as light bulbs iPods or just about anything put into its stream of current between +positive and -negative.  This is only a basic understanding of electricity, but it will do well for understanding solar cells.

Now lets talk solar cells.  Solar cells use two Specially created silicon wafers that are placed (stacked) one on top of the other. When these silicon wafers are struck by sunlight, within the silicon, electrons begin to break free, and if the top wafer and the bottom wafer are connected by metal, such as wire, the electrons begin to flow as current from one to the other.  As we learned from a moving stream, this flow of current can be used to power electrical items.  That is it, not that difficult.  Understand that this is a very simplified breakdown of the operation of solar cells, by searching RenergyCafe.com for solar cells will produce more in depth articles.

Solar energy can be seen at work all over the word in very common places,  highways, houses, cars and gardens.  As this amazing technology improves, it can be expected that it will be seen more and more in our everyday life.

Retrofit solar hot water heaters are the most cost-effective, learn more, way to utilize solar power in today’s market. By retrofitting, much of the labor and material “costs behind installation can be avoided by integrating the new, solar system into the old, “conventional water heater”. In many cases a new water tank is not needed and existing plumbing can still be used.

Solar hot water systems work using solar collectors to harness solar energy to heat up water, which is then transferred to the home via the pre-existing system. Systems can cost anywhere from $1,500 to $5,000 depending on the existing system but, either way, they will save money. Water heating, according to the Department of Energy http://www.eere.energy.gov/de/solar_hotwater.html, is second only to space heating in home energy usage. That being said, *a solar water heater can reduce heating bills by as much as 25 percent*; not to mention the savings in environmental impact.

Beside lower up-front costs, retrofit solar hot water systems pay for themselves rather quickly in energy savings. They often have payback periods less than five years! In addition, state rebates and
incentives http://www.dsireusa.org/ can take a considerable chunk out of the initial investment, making them even more lucrative for the green-minded homeowner.

Green is the new color of home building and remodeling, and every year more avenues are available to homeowners in that regard. Solar power in general is skyrocketing in terms of popularity and accessibility with retrofit solar water heating leading the way. Why not use the same sun that warms your face
every morning to heat your water every day? It is, after all, “free” energy!

Written by
Taylen Peterson
CalFinder
www.calfinder.com

     Although the current system will only power the AC unit, and is for all intents and purposes is just for show, this is definitely a step in the right direction. The California company SEV has created a solar panel system for Toyota Prius (2004-2008). This system takes 2-3 hours to install and boast of a 29% improvement in fuel efficiency. If you are interested this system will set you back $2K to $4k, but it should pay for itself in 2-3 years.

     Toyota is on the right track and hopefully as technology improves the impact that solar panels have on our energy consumptions will increase. Judging by the advancements in recent years I would not be surprised to see a road vehicle by 2020 that is capable of being powered by the sun entirely on a sunny day.  Possibly this will be done by solar charging stations or by munted panels that charge the batteries when the car is parked.

Let us start with electricity. You buy electricity from the power company.The power company charges you a “delivery” charge and “usage” charge. The delivery charge is usually small. The usage charge, however, varies from home to home based on how much electricity you use.

Electricity usage is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh for short) and the bulk of your electricity bill is your usage in kWh times the price of a kWh. The typical American home uses about 10,000 kWh per year. (In Europe, the average home uses about 3,300 kWh per year).While 10,000 kWh does not seem like a lot, for a solar electric system it is.

*Sizing a Solar PV System*

We speak of solar systems in terms of their rated peak power output. For example, a system of five 200-watt panels has a rated peak output of 1,000 watts. Using the rated power, we estimate the total electricity production of the system based on the sun and shade conditions for your location. (Average sun hours per day x Rated power x System efficiency x 365 = kWh per year)

In my area, in unshaded conditions, a 1,000-watt solar electric system with the panels facing polar south and mounted at 45 degrees will generate about 1,200 kWh in a typical year and offset 0.7 tons of carbon dioxide per year. The panels will cover 65 to 85 square feet and cost around $8,000 to $10,000** installed.

Now imagine that a homeowner uses 10,000 kWh per year and wants to offset half of that power    consumption, 5,000 kWh per year, with a solar electric system. To do that, they would need a system just over four times larger than the 1,000-watt system used in the example above. Here is the math: 5,000 kWh per year / 1,200 kWh per year = 4.2, 4.2 x 1,000 = 4,200 watt
system.

Therefore, a system big enough to generate 5,000 kilowatt-hours per year would need to be about 4,200 watts. It will offset about 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide, cover 275 to 360 square feet, and cost $34,000 to $42,000** installed.

*Ouch! For most of us, those are big numbers.*

**Grants and Tax credits not included in the cost estimates.

*Making the Numbers Smaller*

While solar electric systems are expensive in the short term, they are quite reliable, can be expected to last well beyond the 25 year warranty provided by most panel manufacturers, and they will eventually pay for themselves by offsetting electricity you buy from the power company.

So how do you make the cost of the solar electric system smaller? Use less electricity. This turns out to be both economically sensible and environmentally smart.

If, for example, you cut your usage from 10,000 to 5,000 kWh per year, your home’s carbon footprint (the amount of carbon dioxide your home is responsible for putting into the atmosphere) goes down by about 2.5 tons per year.

Also, by cutting your usage in half, to 5,000 kWh per year and putting in a 2,100-watt solar system, you can realize three savings. Your electric bill goes down by half because you have reduced your usage, it goes down another 25% per year because your solar system is making half of your electricity, and your only need to put up  a 2,100 watt solar system at half the cost of a 4,200 watt system.

Read More By Mark at www.newenglandbreeze.com/tem.html

Thanks,
Mark Durrenberger

      The 2010 Toyota Prius reportedly will come with a solar panel option that will extend the battery life, but what if more could be done.  With the new material the Ohio State Researchers developed about the conventional cells it will increase the output potential.  What if all day you could operate your vehicle and charge it’s batteries simply by using a fixed solar panel.  Also consider powering your entire house with one smaller solar cell and even being able to contribute excess energy back into the grid for others to use.

      Whether we as a global community will be energy dependent in ten years from now is unsure.  What is known, is that advancements are being made in both the solar cells and the batteries that are often used to store the solar energy.  It may be anywhere between five years or twenty before highly efficient solar collectors are produced. When they are, we will all benefit.

Using a supercomputer to model different configurations of molecules, researchers were able to determine a hybrid material for testing.  They synthesized this material and measured it for frequency of light absorbed and also for length of time electrons remained free.  It was at this point they discovered how effective this new material is.

The Video Learning Center explains that conventional silicon solar cells operate by reacting with photons in light and create free electrons which flow as current in a circuit.  But these electrons only remain free for a very short time.  The material the OSU researchers created is not only able to capture all visible light, but also to free electrons for 7 million times longer than silicon. As a result more electricity is capable of being produced than ever before.

The Ohio State web site quotes the head of the Department of Chemistry, Malcolm Chisholm, saying “There are other such hybrids out there, but the advantage of our material is that we can cover the entire range of the solar spectrum.”

This new material is still in design stages and suspected to be years away from commercial production.  With more and more attention being given to alternative energies, it is safe to assume that advances in alternative energies will continue, and we could soon begin to see global energy independence.

To read more see http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/fullspect.htm

Solar energy is an obvious starting point for renewable energy because it is free and abundant.  If it can be efficiently collected it can greatly supplement if not replace our energy needs.  This video shows an alternative process of collecting this free solar energy and converting it to useful mechanical energy.   It is mentioned that the energy output is three to four times greater than with a panels the same size.  it appears this could be an efficient solution to many energy needs if produced on a larger scale. 

Things to Think About:  Could this process easily be replicated on a larger scale?  Are there more efficient processes of solar energy conversion?  How much energy could ultimately be produced?