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At Solarandu, we understand that purchasing a solar system can be a
challenging choice. This page was designed to help you better understand solar
energy, from theoretical concepts to practical examples and eventually serves
you as a guide in your decision making process.
| The benefits of Solar Energy |
Solarandu is specializes in transforming the energy
produced from the sun into electricity and/or heat. The process of
transforming sun energy into electricity is commonly referred to as
Solar Photovoltaic or PV for short.
Any individual or entity (business, government, humanitarian
organization...) requiring electricity is a potential PV user. The
advantages of using PV are awesome:
 | Clean Energy Source for today and future generations |
| Quiet operation |
| Energy independence
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| Cost effective during system life |
| Reduction in Green House gases |
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| Reliable with Minimal maintenance
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| Convenient installation, expandability, and transportable |
| Can be used as a part of house construction materials
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| Long Life (over 25 years of guarantee)
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The Science and Technology of Photovoltaic |
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Photovoltaic science is the science
of turning sun energy into electricity. Edmond Becquerel discovered
the concept known as the photovoltaic effect in 1839. However, the
first positive-negative (p/n) junction solar cell was not created
until 1954 at Bell Labs.
Photovoltaics are solid-state semiconductor electronic devices that
convert light directly into electricity. They are usually made of
silicon with traces of other elements and are first cousins to
transistors and LEDs.
Making PV cells and modules requires advanced technologies;
fortunately, they're very simple to use. PV modules are generally
low-voltage DC devices with no moving or wearing parts. When higher
voltages are needed, PV modules can be wired in arrays enough to
meet the requirements of the appropriate system configuration. After
installation, PV arrays virtually require no maintenance other than
an occasional cleaning, and even that is not imperative. Most Stand
Alone PV systems do contain storage batteries which may require some
water and maintenance similar to that required by the battery in an
automobile.
A photovoltaic device
(usually called a solar cell) consists of layers of semiconductor
materials with different electronic properties. In a typical
Solarandu crystalline silicon cell, the bulk of the material is
silicon, doped with a small quantity of boron to give it a positive
or p-type character. A thin layer on the front of the cell is doped
with phosphorous to give it a negative or n-type character. The
interface between these two layers contains an electric field and is
called a junction. When light hits the solar cell, some of the
photons are absorbed in the region of the junction, freeing
electrons in the silicon crystal. If the photons have enough energy,
the electrons will be able to overcome the electric field at the
junction and are free to move through the silicon and into an
external circuit. As they flow through the external circuit they
give up their energy as useful work (lighting lamps, charging
batteries, turning motors, etc.) and return to the solar cell. The
photovoltaic process is completely solid-state and self-contained.
There are no moving parts and no materials are consumed or emitted. |
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| PV and the Environment Impact |
Photovoltaics are probably the most benign
method of power generation known. They are silent, produce no
emissions, and use no fuel (other than sunlight). The production of
photovoltaics, varies among manufacturers. Solarandu's PV technology
is based on silicon, the second most common element on the earth's
surface. Solarandu uses recycled
materials and even uses waste from other industries as raw
materials. As used in PV modules,
silicon is non-toxic. Solarandu PV modules will re-generate the
energy used in its manufacturing process in 1 to 3 years depending
on the application and location.
The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory published a report, "Energy
Payback: Clean Energy from PV" Clean Energy from PV describing
the amount of energy consumed in developing a photovoltaic system
and an estimate of the energy payback. |
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| PV in Cold Weather |
Like most electronic devices, PV modules
operate more efficiently at cooler weather situations.
Contrary to most peoples' intuition, photovoltaics actually generate
more power at lower temperatures with other factors being equal.
This is because photovoltaics are electronic devices and generate
electricity from sunlight, not from heat. While in temperate
climates, photovoltaics will generate less energy in winter than in summer. However, this is due to the shorter days, lower sun
angles and greater cloud cover, not the cooler climate. |
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| PV in Cloudy Conditions |
Photovoltaics do generate electricity in cloudy
weather although their output is diminished. Under cloudy
conditions, the output of any industrial PV module is typically
reduced to 5-20% of its full sun output. Hence, photovoltaic solar
modules are relatively inefficient in low sun and cloudy
conditions.
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To
learn more on
PV fundamental knowledge please click
here
To
download free PV system calculation software please click
here
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