Solar Panels
Enviko are able to design and advise on the prefect solar energy system to suit your requirements, being approved MCS accredited solar panel installers and specialising in all aspects of solar panel technology throughout the UK, you will be safe in the knowledge that Enviko are the right choice for your solar energy installation. Enviko provide the first choice renewable energy solutions for homeowners and commercial clients alike.
Solar Panels – How Do They Work?
Solar panels harness energy from sunlight to produce electricity. Many photovoltaic cells known as solar cells are fixed like grids on a solar panel. One of the main materials taken to produce solar panels is crystalline silicon, which is used in other industries as well, such as industries that manufacture microprocessors. Gallium arsenide is also one of the materials used to produce the photovoltaic or solar cells. Furthermore, amorphous silicon solar panels or A-si solar panels are made using amorphous silicon technology, which is more durable and efficient than other types of solar panels.
Using a highly advanced technology termed molecular beam epitaxy, very important solar cells are produced with gallium arsenide for projects such as space probes since they depend on solar energies. The solar cells produced with molecular beam epitaxy technology include p-n diodes, which are highly capable of absorbing solar spectrums. However the technology as well as materials used to manufacture such solar cells are very expensive and cannot be used to produce conventional solar panels.
Ultra-modern solar panels activate in accordance with the quantum or molecular based technologies. These solar panels are produced with quantum dots or carbon nanotubes implantation into treated plastics. Even though solar panels based on silicon should be made in clear environment, the said solar panels can be constructed without such requirements reducing the cost to a great extent. Plastic solar panels can produce electricity from spectrum of visible lights. Many researches were done to produce plastic solar panels that can absorb infrared energy. If this method happens to be a success, solar panels would be able to absorb infrared energy as well as visible light spectrum thus increasing their efficiency to about 30% more than other types.
When there is direct sunlight available, a highly efficient photovoltaic cell with a diameter of 1/5m can produce about 2 amps at 2 volts. However, this level cannot always be available due to the ever changing atmospheric conditions. Overheating overtime and ageing of a photovoltaic unit reduces its operational efficiency. With time, solar cells will tend to wear off their efficiency level, since energy from them is absorbed by the substrates as infrared heat. The quality of a solar panel is highly instrumental to know how much power it can produce. Therefore, when purchasing solar panels, it is advisable to find those which are of good quality.
As you are already aware, solar panels produce energy from sunlight, which is the result of continuous thermonuclear explosions which occur on the Sun as atoms of hydrogen fuse into atoms of helium. The energy so produced, radiate to earth and solar panels convert solar radiation into electrical energy and stores it in batteries. If we store solar radiation that the earth receives daily, it is enough to produce sufficient energy for us to produce electricity for our needs. Solar panels are a great invention that enables the storage of sunlight to meet all our electricity needs to a high degree. Future experiments will find ways to produce more efficient solar panels than the ones we presently use.
