Technologies Associated With Solar Power

There are various technologies associated with solar power, but generally come under two major groups. The solar thermal technology, - which includes passive solar heating, and solar concentrator power systems, among others - use the sun to generate heat. The other technology, the solar power technology, converts solar radiation directly into electricity through Photovoltaics – a technology capable of producing electricity when exposed to solar energy, especially light.

Solar Power Through Solar Thermal Technology

Solar thermal technologies vary from small – where a parabolic disk cooks food and boils water – to large, where centralized solar power plants use many acres of mirrors to collect the sun's power, and focus it to heat water to convert it to steam to run generators. Power plants with 10 MW capacity can power 10,000 households, and future power plants with capacities ranging from 30 to 200 MW are a possibility.

Solar concentrator power systems use mirrors and lenses to concentrate sunlight onto a receiver. which converts the sunlight into heat. This heat is used to heat fluid, which is led through pipes to a steam generator where it is converted into electricity.

Flat plate solar collectors are large flat boxes inside which are dark colored metal plates that absorb heat. This system is great for providing heated water for household use by passing water through pipes that are heated by the heat absorbed in these plates.

Passive solar heating is how the sun’s thermal power is used to heat the buildings, thereby lowering heating bills. The south facing windows in the northern hemisphere, and the building materials are made of materials that can absorb the sun’s thermal energy.

One of the benefits of solar thermal technology, which is not very apparent, is its ability to cool buildings. These are done by using absorption cooling devices, and desiccant cooling systems.

Solar Power Through Photovoltaics

Photovoltaics is another way of collecting the sun’s energy. Solar cells made of semi-conductors, convert the energy of the sunlight into electricity. Sunlight, which is a stream of energy particles known as photons, hits the semi-conductors and transfers its energy to them. These photons, on hitting the silicon atoms in the solar cells, generate electricity.

Fresnel lenses - which consist of concentric rings of segmental lenses - and mirrored dishes are used to help concentrate the sunlight on a small area of photovoltaic cells. Concentrated photons cause a photoelectric effect on hitting one of the pair of the negatively charged plates, and liberate the electrons. These liberated electrons are attracted to the other negatively charged plate. This flowing of electrons from one plate to the other, is an electric current.

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