How Is Solar Energy Converted Into Electricity?

The Step-By-Step Guides On How Is Solar Energy Converted Into Electricity:
Solar energy is a renewable source of energy, it  has become one of the most widely used sources of energy in the world. But how is energy from the sun converted to a usable form of electricity?  Unlike many other sources of energy, such as wind, dams, petrol/diesel generators etc. which require mechanical motion to generate electrical power, conversion of solar energy to electricity does not require any moving parts, and as such has very high efficiency. How is this direct conversion from light to electricity possible?

Also Read About: Renewable Energy And Climate Change Here.

From Photodiode to Solar Cell

A photodiode converts light to electric current. Invented by John N. Shive at Bell Labs in 1948, improvements in research have resulted in more effective electricity generation. According to research, the higher the ratio of surface area to volume of a photodiode, the more the current generated for the same intensity of light. This  led to the development of the Solar Cell, which is a photodiode with a large surface-area-to-volume ratio. when a number of solar cells are connected in an array, a solar panel is formed. A solar panel can generate high-voltage, high-current electrical  energy.

These Solar cells have applications around us. These sources of energy are durable, portable,  and low maintenance. The Solar cell was invented in the late 1940s and was first used in satellite communications.

Uses Of Solar Energy

• Transportation:

 Solar energy is used in cars. The electricity generated from solar energy is stored in batteries. This electricity goes to the battery or starts the engine. Ed Passerini created the first solar powered car.

• Calculators:

 Solar powered calculators use photovoltaic cells. These calculators are powered by solar energy. Sunlight provides the power needed to run the calculator. Solar calculators work great with outdoor lighting.

• Solar Panels: 

Solar panels are stored on the roof. It is used as a solar collector to heat water. We also apply it in the facilitation of energy production. People can store this energy in backup batteries and use it when the power goes out, or people can harvest this energy and use it to generate electricity in their homes, using free energy from nature.

A solar panel outputs a constant current for a wide range of voltages. For a constant light intensity, A solar panel is therefore considered to be a current source when used in circuit designs. Because the Solar unit generates direct current, it can be directly stored in batteries.

Important Components In A Solar System

• Battery:

The battery stores the generated energy for later use, and powers the other connected components.

Deep cycle batteries are primarily found in the solar system. Deep cycle batteries are not commonly found in common vehicles such as cars and trucks. They consistently provide less energy than normal batteries, and this makes them ideal for golf carts,  recreational vehicles, electric vehicles such as ambulances or e-bikes, and boats.

Drivers are probably familiar with normal lead-acid batteries, as they are common in many everyday vehicles such as SUVs, trucks, cars,  and other light-duty vehicles that require short bursts of electricity to start the engine.

Depending on the situation, deep cycle batteries have many advantages. They offer many benefits including durable performance and longevity, making them ideal for recreational vehicles.

course. Deep cycle batteries last about 2,000 cycles, fully discharging and recharging each cycle, while traditional lead-acid batteries last about 200 cycles and are not suitable for deep charging.

RC. Deep cycle batteries have a higher RC and provide more sustainable power compared to regular batteries.

measure. Deep cycle batteries are smaller and lighter than traditional batteries, which is why they perform well in RVs.

Deep cycle batteries have limitations, including:

Not all vehicles benefit from deep batteries as they have some drawbacks and do not work in all environments. Deep cycle batteries provide less than half to three-quarters of the CCA of traditional lead-acid batteries.

force: Due to their low CCA values, deep cycle batteries cannot provide the high performance that traditional lead-acid batteries can.

Reload again. Users must charge the high-speed battery manually.

• Solar charge controller:
  To ensure that the right current and voltage is gotten from the solar panel irrespective of ambient conditions, a solar charge controller is used to regulate the output voltage and current output. There are two types of solar charge controller: the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) and the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) controllers. PWM controllers regulate the output current by breaking it into pulses with pulse widths proportional to the expected current. The solar panel’s voltage is the voltage of the connected battery. The MPPT type, on the other hand, maintains the solar panel voltage at the point where maximum power is extracted from the solar panel. A buck (step-down) or boost (step-up) converter is used to convert the output voltage to battery voltage. MPPT controllers are more durable, reliable and generate higher power than PWM controllers, but have the downside of higher costs.
  
  To ensure that the right current and voltage is gotten from the solar panel irrespective of ambient conditions, a solar charge controller is used to regulate the output voltage and current output. There are two types of solar charge controller: the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) and the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) controllers. PWM controllers regulate the output current by breaking it into pulses with pulse widths proportional to the expected current. The solar panel’s voltage is the voltage of the connected battery. The MPPT type, on the other hand, maintains the solar panel voltage at the point where maximum power is extracted from the solar panel. A buck (step-down) or boost (step-up) converter is used to convert the output voltage to battery voltage. MPPT controllers are more durable, reliable and generate higher power than PWM controllers, but have the downside of higher costs.
  
  Inverter:
  In order to power AC equipment, an inverter is used to convert Direct Current and Alternating Current. Inverters can generate single-phase or three-phase electricity, and the waveforms generated can be either square wave, modified square wave or sine wave (Sinusoidal PWM) inverters. The SPWM inverters have the most efficiency and generate the least noise/EMI.

Limitations Of Solar Systems

Solar systems have garnered a lot of support and widespread promotions, but it does not mean it lacks disadvantages. The first downside is the highly prohibitive cost of production, as the solar panels are manufactured using expensive IC fabrication technologies and the batteries used in solar systems have high performance requirements.

Also, solar panels have low light-to-electricity conversion efficiency, because only a small percentage of light striking the solar cell is converted to electricity. The rest are reflected off the panel’s surface or converted to waste heat.

Conclusion:

It is worth noting that the demand for solar energy will rise higher in the coming years due to the rush in shifting from non-renewable energy to renewable energy. Due to the potential of solar energy,  more discoveries are ongoing in order to make energy more efficient and affordable. Also discovery about how to improve energy conservation is expected, thereby making life more conducive for us.