Saturday, December 26, 2009

Figuring Out How Solar Energy Works


By John McFrugal

How solar energy works is an essential piece of information to have when you're talking about alternative forms of power. Made from silicon alloys a photovoltaic cell, or solar cell, is a non mechanical device used to convert energy directly into electrical power. Sunlight is made up of thousands and thousands of particles of energy which are photons.

Photons hold different amounts of energy that match up with the diverse wavelengths on the solar scale. When solar cells pull in a photon it can either reflect, pass completely through, or absorb into the mechanism. When the photons absorb into the solar cell, only then can they be used to make energy. After a certain amount of electricity is gained the solar cells begin to dislodge electrons from the atoms of the semiconductor.

Once energy is made, electricity is produced and released. During this, electrons become dislodged from atoms and depending on the sort of treatment done to the surface of the solar cell, then the more productive the cell will become to any electrons that are now floating free. The free electrons will migrate to the surface of the solar cell, which leaves empty spots where they were and changes the charge to positive.

Electrons that will migrate naturally to the solar cell's surface. Electrons moving from their chosen areas leave holes behind them and make that section of the cell positively charged. The same missing electrons, which are negatively charged, then move to the other end of the cell making that end negatively charged. What happens afterwards is that the cell is turned into a type of battery, with one extreme charge on side and the other on the remaining side.

When the two sides are connected by external sources, electricity gets produced and begins to flow. A solar cell can be anywhere from 0. F inches to 4 and one cell can produce 1through 2 watts of power, which isn't enough to run our smallest electronic contraptions. At least not by itself, which is why they usually come by the dozens unless inserted in a small device like a night light, outdoor lamp, etc.

The station has anemometers to measure wind, pyranometers to measure solar energy, and thermometers for temperature. Information from all of these signals are sent to an acquisition system where the data can be analyzed on a scheduled bases.

The energy sent from the electrical distribution panel is combined with other electricity going through your home from outside sources and then routes it through your building to help power your life. The use of solar energy is good way to lower your monthly bill, and that's just one of its many benefits.

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