Solar Panel Battery

A solar panel battery is different from a normal battery. A normal battery converts chemical energy into electrical energy while a solar panel converts sunlight into electrical energy. While a normal battery has the capacity to store energy, a solar panel depends on external resources to do that.

A semiconductor is the medium through which electron movement takes place. As photons hits the surface of the material, electrons are displaced, creating a potential difference. This phenomenon was accidentally discovered when scientists observed that silicon doped with some impurities became very sensitive to light. Very soon, mankind began researching into various materials to make photovoltaic cells.

The first solar cells are large pieces of single-junction semiconductors made of silicon. The productions of such cells are very energy intensive and expensive. Later, other materials with semiconductor properties were experimented with success. Some of these were Cadmium Telluride (CdTe), Copper Indium Gallium Selenide, Amorphous Silicon And Micromorphous Silicon.

Engineers also discovered that such semiconductors could be deposited on thin pieces of glass or ceramic. This reduces the mass of solar cells. While such materials coupled with better production techniques do not promise higher energy conversion, but certainly enabled lower production costs

The efficiency of present day photovoltaic cell comes close to 20%. Further research gives us hope that someday we can reach efficiencies as high as 60%. This can probably be achieved by harnessing more of the solar radiation, tapping into the ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths.

Solar panel batteries are commonly installed in homes, office buildings and even on streets. Their size varies according to the application involved. Recently manufacturers have also designed another type of solar panel (known as Solar Shingles) meant to fit aesthetically into various architectural designs. These look like the roof tiles we commonly see, but they are coated with a layer of photovoltaic material.

Applications of a solar panel battery

While all solar panels look pretty much the same – dark, reflective-surfaced panels – their application varies widely.

Small solar panels can be used at your backyard or garden to power small electronics like your garden sprinkler, automatic gate opener or pond filters and aerators. Larger systems can also be installed at your home to replace all or part of your household energy needs.

Solar cells are also seen on many types of small gadgets and electronics like calculators, music players, mobile phones and LED torch. On the opposite end of the scale, large groups of solar panels can be used to produce massive amounts of energy to supply an entire city’s energy consumption.

Many large projects were designed and discussed. But the huge investment and seemingly long payback period has discouraged organizations from adopting solar power generators on any scale. Fortunately there are corporations like Google who are willing to trail-blaze the way for others to follow.

In both large and small solar power systems, some means of energy storage is necessary. This will retain excess power that’s generated during the day so it can be dispensed during the night. The most common form of energy storage is rechargeable battery. This is almost always the case, even for an off-grid solar power system. All it needs is a larger set of batteries.

For grid energy storage, possibilities (that are still not widely applied) include pumped-water storage, compressed air, thermal storage, frictionless flywheel, super-conducting magnetic storage and compressed hydrogen.

Scientists and engineers are hopeful that technology may advance to the point where implementation costs falls significantly – so that an average family may afford solar panels easily.

By then, more and more homes will make use of solar power to supplement their energy needs. Many other homes will go off-grid. Large corporations and governments can also install numerous solar electric power plants to sell cheap renewable energy to consumers living in areas without abundant sunlight. By then, most parts of our country (and even the world) may be ready to usher in a new solar panel battery era without fossil fuel.

Continue Reading:

1. Build Amazing Home Solar Power Systems Used by Families Who Don’t Want to Pay For Their Utilities
2. Solar Shingles — What Are These?
3. Do-It-Yourself Solar Panels – Electricity Conversion From Sunlight

An Array of Solar Panels

1. Materials Warranty. The warranty period for materials varies from 1 to 10 years. The warranty only covers degradation of materials due to normal wear and tear. Your contractor will not normally change the whole solar panel, though. A technician will first try to replace or repair those damaged parts for free. A replacement will be made only if it is beyond repair.

2. Power Warranty. It is important to ensure that the power output from your solar panels stay consistent through its lifespan. Manufacturers usually provide a 20-year warranty based on the minimum peak power rating.

Warranties may also be divided into two different time frames. For example, warranties can be stated as (i) 80 percent for 20 years, or (ii) 90 percent for the first 10 years, then 80 percent for the next 10 years.

3. Type of solar cell. This involves the material, technology and manufacturing process of each solar cell. Each type of solar cell has its pros and cons. There is no perfect solution.

Monocrystalline cells yield the highest efficiencies. However they are also the most expensive. Its manufacturing process also consumes enormous amounts of energy.

Polycrystalline and ribbon silicon cells are less efficient than monocrystalline cells. However they are cheaper and require less energy to manufacture.

Their physical shape (rectangular or square, as opposed to circular) also allows more PV material to be packed into the PV panel. Thus polycrystalline and ribbon cell PV panels have almost the same power density as monocrystalline counterparts.

Amorphous silicon cells, which are also known as thin-film cells, require the least resources to manufacture. Thus they are also the cheapest. However they are less efficient than their monocrystalline and polycrystalline cousins. They require about twice as much area to produce the same power.

Thin-Film Solar Panel (Rolled Up)

Thin-film panels enjoy better shade tolerance and are able to perform better under high-temperature conditions. But this advantage is somewhat marginal and does not make up for its inefficiency. These panels are also more expensive to install because more panels are required to generate the same amount of electricity.

However thin-film solar technology has its own place in photovoltaic applications due to its physical characteristics. They are thin and light. Therefore they are widely used in handheld devices or field equipment.

4. Number of cells in series. The number of solar cells connected in series determines the output voltage. Each crystalline PV cells produces about 0.5 volts. For solar panels to produce 18 volts, there has to be 36 cells connected in series.

Panels with 36 cells or 72 cells in series are designed to charge batteries rated at 12 volts or 24 volts respectively. Other solar cell configurations are normally designed for grid-tied applications. (“12V”) or 72 (“24V”) cells are designed for battery-charging applications.

Note: Using 36 or 72 cells-in-series solar panels also allow us to have a grid tied system simply by using a charge controller.

5. Nominal operating temperature. This is measured under controlled ambient conditions of (i) an irradiance of 800 W/m2, (ii) air temperature of 20°C, (iii) wind speed of 1 meter per second against a tilt angle of 45 degrees.

When used with the maximum power temperature coefficient, this figure is useful for getting an idea of the power loss due to temperature increase.

The actual cell temperature, however, is influenced by several external factors such as the ambient temperature, wind speed and direction, the tilt-angle of solar panels and the irradiance intensity.

Other parts of this series are available at the following links:

(i) http://www.diysolarpanelsworld.com/important-facts-and-properties-of-a-solar-pv-panel-you-must-know-about-part-3-of-3

(ii) http://www.diysolarpanelsworld.com/important-fact-and-properties-of-a-solar-pv-panel-you-must-know-about-part-1-of-3

Continue Reading:

1. Solor Panel Inverters – Multifunction Solar Panel Inverters
2. Important Facts And Properties of A Solar (PV) Panel You Must Know About (Part 1 of 3)
3. Important Facts And Properties of A Solar (PV) Panel You Must Know About (Part 3 of 3)

There are many applications for flexible solar panels. Being portable, they’re often used as a charger for gadgets like PDAs, mobile phones, laptops and walkie-talkies. They can also be used to power camping equipment, field communication radios and GPS systems. Many flexible solar panels are even integrated into architectural fabric and metal roofing.

Price-wise, amorphous silicon thin film solar cells can be cheaper than conventional crystalline cells. This is because they require less semiconductor material. Each thin film cell is 1-micrometer thick, as compared to an average of 150 to 200 micrometers for crystalline cells. The downside to this material is its inefficiency. While crystalline photovoltaic cells boast a credible 20% efficiency, most thin films are confined to a single digit efficiency percentage. But research to improve the efficiency of thin film photovoltaic cell is underway. By using a combination of photovoltaic materials, there is a possibility that thin films can convert more of the solar spectrum into electricity, thereby matching the efficiency of its crystalline cell cousin.

Flexible solar panels are sold in different shapes and sizes. A brief search on the Internet reveals a wide range of products that these solar panels are currently utilized for. Manufacturers like Silicon Solar, Inc and PowerFilm develops and manufactures flexible solar panels for consumers and businesses alike. And as the popularity of solar panels increase in recent years, more start-ups are also jumping into the renewable energy bandwagon to serve a host of new converts recently found in the market. Xunlight from Toledo, Ohio, is an example of such new companies.

In recent years, engineers found a way to increase the lifespan and efficiency of solar cells. A layer of material is coated on the transparent, protective layer to convert ultraviolet radiation into longer-wavelength visible light. This reduces solar cells’ exposure to harmful radiation, prolonging their lifespan. Incidentally, this technique also helps convert more sunlight into electricity.

As technology improves, flexible solar panels can hopefully capture more of the solar spectrum to turn them into useful electrical energy. By then, this technology will gradually replace bulkier crystalline solar cells in many applications.

Continue Reading:

1. Solar Shingles — What Are These?
2. Important Facts And Properties of A Solar (PV) Panel You Must Know About (Part 2 of 3)
3. How to Build a Solar Powered RC Glider